


Adventures of a Skele-Nanny

by Lavender_chan



Series: Skeleton Nanny [2]
Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Babybones, Children In Danger, Eventual Smut, F/M, Gender-Neutral Chara (Undertale), Mild Peril, Racism, Rating May Change, baby bones, i promise it'll get there, nanny reader, patience my lovelies, suggested tags may not be used at authors discretion, suggestions for tags are welcome, terorrism
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-20
Updated: 2018-12-01
Packaged: 2019-06-30 01:31:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 30
Words: 63,352
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15741384
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lavender_chan/pseuds/Lavender_chan
Summary: In a timeline where the barrier was broken by both Chara and Asriel and Gaster never disappeared, Gaster decided to wait for children. He took his time, waited until he was a well established name in multiple fields in science and then took steps. Once he had children, however, he never expected they would be as much work as they were even if they were one of the few joys of his life. Enter you: Zelda Emmerson, live-in Nanny extraordinaire.The last family you worked for no longer needed your services, so what’s an out of work childcare provider do? Find new children to nanny, of course. You won’t pretend you understand everything about this strange little skeleton family: Papyrus, the infant who seemed incapable of being anything other than larger than life; Sans, the tiny genius six year old who was already easily understanding concepts you could never wrap your head around; and their father, the infamous grouch and scientist, Dr. W. D. Gaster.With all the quirks and oddities of living with such a trio, there is one thing above all else: you were going to have a blast.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Life In The Doll House](https://archiveofourown.org/works/9796823) by [AthenaNuu](https://archiveofourown.org/users/AthenaNuu/pseuds/AthenaNuu). 



> Well, here we are. Another title for me to pour work into and hopefully finish! Bright side: I currently have 10 finished chapters waiting to be posted, so at the very least, you lovelies will be getting _something_ out of me, haha!
> 
> That being said, I would greatly appreciate comments and kudos--validation takes me a long way, haha.
> 
> Anyway, just wanted to give a shoutout to the fic and author who inspired this piece of work you now are reading!  
> [Life In The Dollhouse](https://archiveofourown.org/works/9796823) by [AthenaNuu](https://archiveofourown.org/users/AthenaNuu/pseuds/AthenaNuu)!! (Beware: Rated Explicit)
> 
> Anyway, I hope you guys enjoy!

“Oh you have gotten so big, haven’t you?” Toriel cooed as her large paws held 9-month old Papyrus and steadied him as she bounced the child gently on her knee, “Oh, Gaster, he looks just like you.”

Gaster chuckled, “Yes, he did inherit quite a few features from me.”

Asgore chuckled from the other room, and entered with his two children: Asriel and Chara. They had grown into strapping young adults, but still wore matching (though oppositely colored) striped shirts. Chara was tickling Sans, who was being held firmly over Asriel’s shoulder.

“hahaha! stop, i give, i give up!” Sans shrieked in delight.

“Oh, you boys look so handsome,” Toriel smiled at her two children, happily letting Papyrus nibble at her claws, “Did all of your paperwork go through okay?”

“Yes, mom,” Both of them chimed before Asriel finally pulled Sans away from Chara’s cruel fingers.

“hey, i’m starting school this year,” Sans was quick to add as he tugged on Asriel’s shorts.

Chara was the one who knelt down, “Oh yeah? I heard you’re already smarter than your teacher; that true, pipsqueak?”

“dad says it's because i’m a proddy,” Sans puffed his chest out proudly and Chara had to press their lips together to keep from laughing at Sans’s mistake.

“That’s ‘prodigy’, son,” Gaster corrected gently, hiding his own smile behind his fingers.

“proddy,” Sans tried again, looking down in concentration, “prod-gee…”

“Where will your children be attending college?” Gaster turned his attention back to Toriel as Asgore settled next to her, “Close by?”

“Oh, no,” Toriel fluttered, “Chara was accepted to an University overseas and Asriel chose to focus on the political sciences at the New York University.”

Asgore squeezed Toriel’s shoulders and rumbled, “It is the first time they will be apart since we came to the surface a decade a go--and it will be lonely at home, I think.”

Toriel cleared her throat, “It is what is best for our children, so we will manage; we’ll be gone for a while after they leave anyway.”

Gaster nodded slowly--it was a little early to wonder about college for his own children, but he couldn’t help but wonder just what he himself would do when that time came. For now, he had a few more pressing matters.

As if they both sensed his thoughts, Asgore and Toriel bid Chara and Asriel goodbye and the King of the monsters pulled Sans into his lap.

“Gaster, with us leaving the country to try and secure more free travel for monsters around the world…” Toriel paused as if trying to breach a subject carefully.

“We know it will be hard for you, now that Toriel and I will be unavailable to help watch your children when we are free,” Asgore said.

“And without our children to use as babysitters,” Toriel quipped gently, and smiled warmly.

Gaster hummed and looked down at his son’s; Sans, already a brilliant child even at 6, seemed to be following their conversation easily.

“I must admit—the thought of just bringing a stranger in to watch the boys does make me...uncomfortable,” Gaster finally said.

“Let me help, Gaster,” Toriel insisted, “I know of one or two potentials.”

Gaster hummed again, but made the mistake of letting the Queen catch his eye. Her earnest expression won him over, and he sighed.

“Alright, I trust you, Toriel,” Gaster relented slowly, “I could use the help, regardless.”

~*~

“-We ask that you please, hold your applause until we have called every graduate--we have many students who are graduating, and very little time-”

The words droned in the background as you leaned forward in your uncomfortable chair in the stadium. Graduating from high school was always an emotional time and you could see it as the students sitting in the metal chairs--set up on the grass below--shifted and hugged each other in their seats. It was emotional for another reason, at least for you.

“I can’t believe their already graduating…” The woman sniffed to your right and you gently pat her arm.

“It’s alright, Clarice,” You hummed, “Children grow; that’s the point of things.”

“She’s right, darling,” The man who sat on the other side of Clarice--her husband, Nick, “The boys have grown into bright young men; watching them grow has been...a blessing.”

Even though he was comforting his wife, you could hear how thick Nick’s voice was with emotion.

“Well, it’s not over yet,” You smiled, “Now, you just get to see what kind of job you did; they’re still growing--just now, they’ll be doing it a little further from home.”

Clarice held your hand, “Oh, don’t act as though you didn’t have as big of a hand in it as we have--you’ve been a wonderful nanny to them, all the way until now.”

You laughed lightly, “Well, more like a life coach these last few years--it's not like they _needed_ a nanny after they were 14-”

“Are you kidding? The boys would have rioted if we would have let you go,” Nick snorted, “They love you as much as we do--we’re sorry we’ll be parting ways now, with the boys off to college.”

“We can all still be friends,” You said and you squeezed Clarice’s hand back, “It’s not like I’m going to open an umbrella and fly away now that I’m not needed anymore.”

The three of you laughed quietly, even as bursts of applause erupted around you in strange, short celebrations that accompanied each name. Well, you weren’t going to to fly away, but what could you do now? You had been nannying these the twins since they were 10 and now, with you just hitting 30…

“What will you do now?” Clarice asked, obviously still worried about your welfare.

“Well, I’ll go find new children to nanny, of course,” You snorted, as if it weren’t the most obvious thing in the world.

“Anthony and Adam Benson.”

You, Clarice and Nick all rose to your feet and cheered as loud as you could, making both boys on the stage raise their arms in triumph before they were ushered off the makeshift stage.


	2. Chapter 2

“Well, the last of the archived files are now boxed and ready to be stored until-” Clarice paused as she walked into Toriel Dreemurr’s office, “Until you and the King return.”

Toriel had quickly sat up straight and wiped the few tears from her eyes; she had been pouring over a few resumes from different nanny services and such, but it had lead to thoughts of how she and Asgore had never needed nannies.

Their children had simply come with them on their meetings--or, if there was a particularly sensitive subject that needed some discretion (or, rarely, a subject too gruesome for young ears), there had always been a spare monster or two who loved the idea of spending a day with Asriel and Chara. They were the two who had freed the whole of the monster society from below Mt. Ebbot.

Of course, that had lead to thoughts of how they hadn’t really needed a nanny or sitter in the more recent years; they were both grown and independant. More than that, they tended to balance each other out: Asriel’s flamboyant emotional calm easing Chara’s analytical logic and vice versa. With the two of them together, Asgore and Toriel hadn’t needed to worry about their well being in their late teens.

Now, they were going to be thousands of miles apart--and for such a long time. Would they seek each other out again, once their schooling was over? Would their family ever be together again? That had started the tears, though Toriel had managed to keep them from falling.

“Oh, thank you, Clarice,” Toriel cooed quietly, trying to hide by turning her chair.

Clarice had been working with the queen for too long to be fooled by that, “Toriel, what’s the matter?”

“Oh...just,” Toriel cleared her throat and glanced at the papers on her desk, “It’s really just about my children, is all.”

Clarice nodded her head, “They just graduated this year too, right?”

“Yes; it’s happened so much sooner than I expected,” Toriel sank into her chair, finally under some form of control over herself, “I am happy to see them so confident and ready to face the world; I just…”

“Never expected it to come with such loss?” Clarice offered, “Oh, I hear you; my twins are about to head off, too.”

“Loss,” Toriel repeated before she nodded, “They have certainly grown into fine young men, Clarice.”

“Thank you,” Clarice smiled, “All of our children will be fine, Toriel; better than fine--we’ve offered them the best jumping off point and they’re ready to fly.”

Toriel found herself smiling, “That is a good analogy, isn’t it?”

Clarice’s eyes fell to the papers that Toriel was going over; as the queen’s personal assistant, normally she would know what they were for, but she found herself surprised to see that the queen was looking at a stack of resumes.

“Are you hiring someone?” Clarice asked as she scanned the top page, “Tori, these are for nannies? Are you and the king going to…?”

Toriel laughed quietly, “Oh, no; the king and I are quite finished with that chapter of our lives--no, I am helping a dear friend find a nanny to help care for his children.”

“A nanny you say?” Clarice perked up, “Mind indulging a little of my butting in?”

“In what way?” Toriel tilted her head curiously.

“I think I might have a resume you would want to look over.”

~*~

You reached over with a closed fist and banged on the top of the dryer twice. Despite it supposedly being ‘on’, you found that those two love taps were required to get it to actually work. And there it went; you sighed.

Normally, you were a live-in sort of nanny, but ever since you had to move out of the Benson house a few years ago, it had been back to renting and dealing with all the hassles of actually adulting about being a renter.

It was your idea to move out, anyway; once the boys were driving on their own--plus the fact that they were gone most of the day anyways--you didn’t feel right staying in the spare bedroom of the Benson house. When they were younger and you had to be there to help with any problems over the course of the day, it made sense--hell it was practically a requirement, especially with two teenage boys who had been determined to visit Urgent Care every other week.

Now that they were getting ready to leave for college, you had been trying to get back into the rhythm of job hunting and it wasn’t going great. Most nannies were part of agencies now, which offered the benefit of background checks, required continued education, and so on and so forth. Hardly anyone wanted to handle a resume without that sort of backing in terms of nannies anymore.

You sighed and leaned against the rumbling machine behind you. Getting into an agency now would be more than annoying--it would be nearly impossible. Most requirements weren’t the issue:

You always made sure you were up to date on basic first-aid, including CPR for both adults and children, you constantly looked up research and current child-rearing techniques in order to make sure you gave the best care and support; it was mostly the fact that, despite the fact that you had been watching children your entire professional life (right out of high school, literally), you would be treated like a newbie.

Preferred jobs (which paid the most) would go to others while you were given short-term babysitting or house-sitting jobs that wouldn’t pay the bills. You didn’t care for the idea of appearing and disappearing for a kid’s life on the whim of their parents.

Children needed stability and more than that, they were always more sensitive and prone to the idea of abandonment-

Why were you explaining this to yourself?

You rubbed your face; you were more tired than you thought. Maybe a cup of coffee or something would settle your nerves. Even thinking this, you hesitated. The laundry was nearly caught up and if you walked away now, you’d likely wait until next week to continue the Sisyphus task.

With a roll of your shoulders, you set back to work with loading the washer.

The hum of the dryer almost made you miss the buzz of your phone a few minutes later.

“Hello?” You held the phone in the crook of your shoulder, against your ear, “Clarice? Hold on, I can hardly hear you over the dryer--no, just give me-”

You started the washer and stepped out of the awkward alcove that the two machines had been shoved into.

“Sorry, how can I help you?” You held the phone easily as you walked toward your kitchen before you laughed, “Of course I’m still in the nanny business--it’s only been 4 days since your boys graduated.”

You hummed as you fixed up your coffee machine and put in a few filter, “No, no prospects yet; the market looks a lot different than before you guys hired me. No, no issue, just frustration.”

The bubbling of the water was like catharsis and already was triggering your body--you were getting coffee soon. You were the best example of pavlov, no doubt.

“Hmm?” You stood a little straighter, “An interview? But I haven’t--oh, you did? Well, thank you, I appreciate the help, but what’s this new job?”

Across the city, Clarice sat back in her chair and held up a file she had dug out from the archives just so she could have a point of reference, “Well, I don’t know about the father, but I’ve met the two children--adorable little monsters, 6 years and the other is 9 months.”

She opened the folder and stared down at a photo of an adult monster with a white skeletal face. The two deep scars--one curving up over the top of his head starting at his right eye and the other connecting the corner of his left eye to the corner of his grim mouth--were striking on his smooth face. The expression he was making made it seem like he was an unwilling participant in the taking of the photo.

“The king and queen would sometimes bring them to the embassy,” Clarice answered, “The father is some famous scientist--maybe you’ve heard of him?”

She paused when she heard the sound of a coffee-maker in the background and waited until you prompted her to continue.

“Dr. W. D. Gaster,” Clarice said, putting the photo down, “The queen seemed keen on meeting with you after I gave her your resume--she wants you to go to his house and do a walkthrough--I would treat it like an interview, since it seems like she’s helping this guy pick a nanny.”

“Thanks, Clarice,” You said again, “What’s the date and time?”

You wrote down the information on a notepad that clung to the front of the fridge before you took another sip of your coffee, “Do you know if it's a live-in position? No? Well, that’s okay; at this point I’ll take anything that’s a steady job.”

“Oh, no, it’s not a big deal--you know how I am about stability for the child, is all,” You rambled, “It’s just preference, not a requirement.”

The two of you easily slipped from that subject to talking about the twins and what Clarice was planning on doing when the king and queen went on their tour of the world. It surprised you a little that Clarice was planning on going with Toriel and Asgore, but then, with her and Nick’s marriage in the air...you didn’t bring it up, but wondered if the two of them should just cut their losses now that the boys were out of the house.

You knew it wasn’t your place--even if there wasn’t a professional wall of you being their nanny--so you just let the woman vent over the phone before the two of you wrapped up the phone call.

There was only the last dregs of your coffee left by the time you went back into the laundry room to make sure your best interview outfit was clean. Well, at least there was hope.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I tried a little experiment for the phone call in the last half of this chapter, sort of a trading pov type of thing. What do you guys thinks? Hit or miss?
> 
> Comments are always appreciated, and please follow my tumblr: [PurpleFictionMom.tumblr.com](http://purplefictionmom.tumblr.com/) My asks and messages are always open!


	3. Chapter 3

Gaster huffed quietly to himself as he paced the living room. He wasn’t new to the idea of having strangers in his home, of course, but normally it was on his own terms.

The night before, Toriel had called him to tell him that she was bringing a candidate for nanny the next morning--’ _Bright and early, Gaster, I’ll be arriving before her_ ’--and that she had a good feeling about this one.

She had already sent three to him, but none had even come close to his idea of what a nanny should be. The first hadn’t even been out of college and would only commit his time to his children between classes--which, the gaps were extensive, Gaster noted. The second was so old and refused to even comply with simple requirements that would be necessary to caring for Sans and the third-

Gaster shuddered. The third had tried telling him that physical punishment was the only way to handle children. While he had no real opinion on the practices of raising human children, Gaster couldn’t even _begin_ to list the number of problems with physical punishment in terms of monster children.

No, none of them had even been close to what his children required, so there was no way-

A gentle knocking brought him from his reverie and he tugged at the end of his sleeves absently while he walked to the front door. The queen smiled easily; early saturday and she looked ready for a picnic, he thought. Her usual royal purple robes that bore the royal crest were gone and in their place, a delicate yellow sundress swayed around her ankles.

“Good morning, Gaster,” Toriel hummed and nodded her head politely when he let her inside, “I hope you and the children are doing well today.”

“Sans is playing with Papyrus in the baby room,” Gaster informed her, “I can call them down if you wish?”

“Oh, no, I’ll visit with them after the nanny arrives,” Toriel smiled before she followed the skeletal monster into the kitchen, “Are you alright? You seem tense, my child.”

While any of his human colleagues might have taken offense at being referred to as ‘my child’ by someone, Gaster found familiar peace in it. There was always a familial comfort that came when any monster spoke with the king or queen and Gaster had long since understood that it was from their deep love for the monsters they served.

“I do not like all this ‘meeting people’ business,” He grumbled, “Especially so many humans who are so…”

“I tried to find any monsters who would be available, but not many are,” Toriel assured him, “Many have chosen to follow Asgore and I, in order to demonstrate themselves on foreign soil--and Gerson himself is taking over the whole of the responsibility of the embassy while we are away-”

Gaster held up his hand, “It is alright, Toriel; I know you are doing your best, and I appreciate the help.”

Only a few could accuse Gaster of being so soft spoken. Being the head researcher of his lab usually made him speak in clipped sentences and with hardly any decorum and he had taken it into his daily life. Only his sons and the king and queen ever saw anything else.

Toriel smiled and moved around the breakfast counter--which was attached to the back of the island in the middle of the kitchen, which created a natural separation between the kitchen space and the dining room. Without prompting, she began to make tea. Gaster normally never touched it, but the queen was a fussy mother with anyone and everyone she met, so he let her.

“When is the human supposed to be here?” Gaster asked as he sat at the table.

“Zelda Emmerson,” Toriel supplied the name without prompting, “It’s not nice to simply refer to her as ‘human’, Gaster--I think it would be most crude if she were to call us ‘monster’, after all.”

Gaster hummed, but corrected himself, “When is Ms. Emmerson due to arrive?”

Toriel looked happy as she brought a small tray with three teacups, full of honey-colored liquid, “Any minute now, in fact.”

~*~

You looked at the address on the paper where you had written it and then glanced up at the house. If you weren’t sure it would call all of the Royal Guard down on you, you might have whistled, impressed.

The neighborhood was quiet and idyllic, with monster children playing in yards and cars parked in driveways rather than on the street. Lawns were kept tidy, though you were puzzled at how many different styles of yard were on one street--how did the house down the block keep a _lava pool_ anywhere near their neighbors, who somehow kept snow fresh on their roof and yard?

You shook your head and kept to the pebbled pathway that lead between two parts of an impeccably manicured lawn. You’d have been impressed if you weren’t worried your eyes could somehow mess it up. The house was all corners and hard lines, but even so, the pleasant creme color of the paint seemed to smooth the rough edges.

The front porch was made of a dark wood that didn’t creak under your feet; you knocked on the door and stepped back so you could glance around at the neighborhood again as you waited for a response.

It was so peaceful and you could see neighbors chatting at the edges of their yards, or making their way to different doors to visit. Laughter was a common sound and you couldn’t deny how friendly and warm the whole neighborhood felt.

You finally turned back when the front door opened.

Gaster wasn’t sure quite what to expect when he opened the door, but a part of him wondered if it was to your credit if he was a little surprised. Every other potential nanny had come dressed in such nice clothes that he had been worried to introduce them to his children at all--for fear a moment of exuberance would cause Papyrus to spill something all over them, or a greeting prank from Sans would leave Gaster with a dry-cleaning bill.

You were dressed in a nice pair of dark jeans and cotton shirt that looked neither slobbenly or ill-fit. He doubted they were your nicest clothes, but you seemed to understand that you were meeting with a potential employer with small children.

“Hello, are you Dr. Gaster?” You offered a wide smile and reached your hand out in greeting, “My name is Zelda Emmerson.”

The monster who answered the door could be no one else, if Clarice’s description was anything to go on: he was tall--easily as tall as the door, which was already abnormally tall by regular standards--and you were glad Clarice had warned you about his scars. You would have hated to have stared at such unusual marks that seemed to open to darkness beneath his skin. His eyes were voids with two white lights that seemed to act like pupils.

Gaster reached out and took your firm handshake; his long fingers wrapped around your hand and you couldn’t explain the sudden warmth that felt like it traveled along your skin from where he touched. Maybe it had something to do with monster magic?

“Pleasure,” Gaster clipped quietly before he moved out of the way and allowed you entrance.

You could smell something mildly sweet in the air and the house was well-lit and clean. You appreciated the lack of carpeting and wondered if it had been a purposeful choice since there were younger children in the house. You didn’t ask, but followed Gaster down the hallway.

To your left was a living room that had toys on the coffee table and important looking research papers scattered over a few other surfaces. The TV was turned to some cartoon or another, but the sound was completely off. To your right was an open door that seemed to lead into some sort of office, with towering bookcases and a messy desk.

At the end of the short hall, there was a sharp turn that lead to a set of stairs, but just past that was an open archway into a tiled kitchen and dining room where a large furry monster with short horns was already waiting.

“Tea?” Gaster offered you a place at the table across from him, while the other monster sat at the end of the table between the two of you, “Please, let me introduce Toriel Dreemurr, Queen of the Monster Society.”

You offered her a little faux curtsy that made her giggle, “It’s nice to meet you; I’m Zelda.”

“Clarice had high praise for you,” Toriel said and shook your hand, “And, having met her sons, I think I should offer you some as well.”

“Oh, I didn’t do much,” You shook your head and sat down, “Just some basic listening skills and a little bit of ‘caring about them’.”

Gaster hadn’t met Clarice’s sons, but Toriel had spoke of them before. He wondered if he might be able to meet them before he decided whether he should hire you. Either way, he reached back toward the breakfast bar where he pulled down a few papers while the two of you spoke.

You tore your eyes away from Toriel when Gaster slid the papers toward you.

“Are these requirements and terms?” You asked while your eyes scanned the words.

“In so many words,” Gaster answered.

Already, you could see a few issues, but kept them quiet for now, “How old are your children, Doctor?”

“You may call me ‘Gaster’, Ms. Emmerson,” Gaster said before he answered, “Sans is 6 and will be starting 2nd Grade this year and Papyrus is just shy of 10 months, nearly to to the day.”

“2nd Grade?” You glanced up at Gaster and watched him nod, “He skipped 1st Grade?”

“He skipped Kindergarten as well,” Gaster folded his hands together and leaned on his elbows lightly; you had to force yourself not to stare at the gaping holes in his hands. They were perfectly round and seemed to cut through the center of each palm, “He has shown an aptitude to learning and the Queen agrees with me that he wouldn’t have been properly challenged.”

“Hmm,” You responded and went down the line, a few things made you shake your head, “Have there been other applicants?”

Toriel answered this one, “A few, from different agencies, but none seemed to fit right.”

“Was it because of these?” You raised an eyebrow and lifted the paper.

Toriel looked confused, so you assumed she had yet to see what the paper contained, but Gaster stared at you over his folded hands with a steady gaze, “I deemed them inappropriate to watch my children for a myriad of different reasons--however, you seem to have contention with what I’ve written. Please, enlighten me as to what could be on that paper to sour this opportunity for you.”

“For starters, you understand that nannies of any caliber are likely not going to have any sort of higher degree from college,” You sat up and watched Gaster’s eyes as he studied you, “Let alone have anything close to a ‘Bachelors in Child Care’ or any sort of degree in Child Psychology, right? Anyone with those sorts of degrees are simply going to open a clinic or a daycare.”

Gaster tutted, “Then I assume you have neither?”

For the sake of the interview, you chose to not allow yourself to be offended by the bite of his response.

“No,” You said “And neither will any other applicant who you bring in to interview.”

“Noted,” Gaster said, but before you could continue with any of the other requirements that had caught your eye, you noticed a pair of glowing blue hands--ethereal and see through--that looked exactly like Gaster’s hands, holes and all. They floated in from the direction of the office, carrying a pen and a small tablet of paper, “What else?”

You were taken back and had to shake yourself, “Well…’basic understanding of trigonometry’ and ‘certification for teaching’ are both…”

Toriel glanced at Gaster and found him ignoring her for the moment. Despite what he had said about the other applicants she had sent his way, she wondered how many of these has counted toward his obvious disdain for them.

Gaster’s brow bones came together and you marveled at watching what you had essentially thought was a hardened skull move with emotion, “So just what _should_ I expect of someone who I will be trusting my children with?”

You had to take a moment to find an answer. It was more than obvious that he was the sort of person with a strict sense of learning; more than that, he didn’t seem in touch with what was usual for expectation. A part of you wondered if the older one--Sans--achieved so high simply because of Gaster’s own warped ideas of normal.

“You should expect that they would want what’s best for your children,” You answered, and you tried not to notice one of the ghostly hands drop the pen it was holding, “From the look of all these requirements, you don’t really want a nanny--you want another version of you, just one who’s more dedicated to the ideal of raising children.”

Toriel glanced back and forth between the two of you as you continued, “And...I’m sorry to say, Gaster: there isn’t another ‘you’ out there to take care of your children that way. All you can hope for is to find someone who cares about your children nearly as much as you do.”

Gaster sat, frozen for a long moment after you stopped speaking. A part of him marveled at how easily you had read him--another marveled that he hadn’t noticed any of that in himself until you said it. Despite his wanting to adhere strictly to the requirements he had written late one night a few weeks ago, he couldn’t deny that a few had been a more desperate want, rather than reality: hoping to find the best possible care for his growing children.

“Would you like to meet the children?” Toriel suddenly asked gently, but she didn’t wait for your answer before she stood and silently directed you.

A part of you wanted to apologize as you saw the clouded look enter Gaster’s eyes, but you simply pressed your lips together and stood.

“I’d love to,” You answered.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Apart of me wonders if I should already be going back and doing rewrites haha
> 
> I've gotten back into the swing of reading Undertale Fanfiction and THERE ARE SO MANY GREAT ONES. I try not to compare my own writing to theirs, but OH MY GOD, THE GREAT ONES ARE REALLY _MAGNIFICENT_
> 
> *cough cough* Oh well, I'll go back when and if I have the time, maybe make a few changes. For now, I'm just going to keep posting what I have and hope you guys like it :>
> 
> Comments are always appreciated, and please follow my tumblr: [PurpleFictionMom.tumblr.com](http://purplefictionmom.tumblr.com/) My asks and messages are always open!


	4. Chapter 4

Gaster had to shake himself when Toriel turned another look at him--he didn’t want to be caught by her eyes just yet; he wanted to see how this human interacted with his children. He felt like the things he had thought he knew were in a jumble, but he quickly tried to regain some sense of control.

“They’re upstairs,” He said, and directed you from behind until the three of you reached the stairs.

You saw the pictures that were hung in the stairwell and a part of you wondered if Gaster had his strange magical hands hang them, or if he did it with his physical ones. The fact that it made you smile didn’t register, but you felt the corners of your mouth lift higher when you saw a picture that was no doubt Gaster’s pride.

It was at the top of the stairs and was a family portrait. Gaster sat in the middle with a small skeleton baby in his lap, their arms raised in exuberant glee. Standing next to them was another skeleton child, shorter than you imagined--maybe this was when he was much younger? But with the infant looking already so big…--but smiling lazily with one eye closed in an easy wink.

“NYEH!”

That was the first sound that introduced you to Papyrus. When Gaster opened the door, which was lovingly labeled in the font of the same name, you saw both children and your heart melted. Papyrus was holding his own crib to aid his standing. He turned when the door opened and without thinking, he let go with both hands and raised his arms to yell the cute noise before he toppled and rolled back with his legs in the air.

You giggled quietly behind your hand as Gaster hurried forward to check on the baby. The older child, Sans, sat with his legs crossed in too-big shorts and a T-shirt that showed a close-up of Saturn and its rings. 

“He really does dote on them,” Toriel giggled behind her hand and you agreed silently.

Sans turned his head to look up at Toriel and blinked curiously at you before he stood. Gaster picked up Papyrus and just noticed Sans trying to slip a small whoopie cushion into his palm; he opened his mouth to reprimand the child, but Papyrus took the opportunity to shove both of his hands into his father’s mouth.

Both you and Toriel noticed the obvious prank, but before Toriel could say anything, you simply stepped forward and offered Sans your hand.

“You must be Sans, right? I’m Zelda,” You tried to keep the corners of your mouth from giving yourself away.

“heya, nice to meetcha,” Sans drawled--even his words sounded laid back--and reached up to hold your hand. He chuckled as the whoopie cushion went off before he added, “gotcha.”

“Sans-” Gaster finally removed the infant’s hands from his mouth, but you were already talking.

“Oh, gosh!” You exclaimed, “How did I ever fall for that?”

Sans immediately turned to smile at Gaster, small stars glowing in his eyes, “dad, i got her! did ya see that?”

Gaster almost wanted to keep scolding Sans, but his eyes drifted up to you and saw the glowing smile on your lips. He hesitated, but finally looked down at Sans and spoke.

“Good job, son,” He watched as Sans lit up even more.

Oh, Toriel liked this one. Gaster could see her as she stood behind the human with approval etched into her face. You stepped forward and knelt in front of Gaster, but not too close. Papyrus still pulled away a little, but calmed when your attention was back on Sans.

“Sans, who’s this little guy?” You asked. Sans almost hopped as he moved around you to stand next to Gaster.

He held both of Papyrus’s hands and the infant cooed and giggled loudly at that, “this is my baby bro, papyrus; isn’t he so cool?”

“The coolest,” You nodded, “Is he a little shy with strangers?”

“a little,” Sans shrugged and his high pitched voice hardly seemed to emote as he explained, “pap just doesn’t like strangers who tell him to be quiet.”

“Ah, does Papyrus get a little loud?” You asked.

“nah, not on purpose,” Sans shrugged with his eyes closed, “he’s just a baby and all.”

The clarity with which Sans spoke started to clue you in on how much he really seemed to be aware of--if IQ was hereditary, then Sans certainly got his fair share. Still, you could already see how close the two children already were. Sans immediately put Papyrus at ease, and Papyrus already seemed so important to Sans, even though he was at an age prone to jealousy.

“are you going to be our new babysitter?” Sans suddenly asked as he shoved his hands into his pockets.

You smiled, “Well, that’s up to your father; and also, I think, a little up to you, too. Do you want me to be the one to watch you?”

Sans pondered it, but still glanced at Gaster. When Gaster nodded slowly, Sans seemed a little out of his element. You wondered if he was the type to fall back onto other people for direction or if maybe Gaster tended to make decisions for Sans. Not an unusual thing, to be sure, but not many parents tended to ask their children for input or about their feelings when changes occurred around them.

“i dunno,” Sans shrugged, “i guess if dad thinks you’re okay...but i like ya.”

You smiled, “Well thank you, Sans; I like you too.”

Toriel giggled from her place at the door and finally caught Gaster’s eye over your head. He pressed his lips together, but didn’t say anything for now.

~*~

When you left, Toriel helped Gaster put Papyrus down for a nap before she lead Sans downstairs for a snack. Sans had to climb into the dining room chairs and Toriel sighed quietly as she watched the small skeleton sit on his knees to eat.

He had just turned 6, but was no taller than a child half his age. Gaster had insisted Sans was healthy, simply small, but Toriel wondered if he would ever really get as tall as most monsters. Herself included, many monsters easily towered over 7 feet. Gaster himself was just under that height, but only Froggits, Whimsums and similarly smaller monsters didn’t reach much taller heights.

“Are you excited about school?” Toriel asked as she placed a drink next to the plate of monster snacks.

“yeah, dad says it’ll be good for me,” Sans happily ate, “but, i think he’s worried.”

“About what, Sans?” Toriel sat next to him with a curious look.

“bout lotta stuff,” Sans didn’t seem concerned as he said it, “but i think he’s worried cause paps isn’t talking yet.”

Toriel hummed; Gaster had been beside himself with joy when Sans had said his first word at 6 months and likely hadn’t heard a word when Toriel had mentioned how unusual it was--most children she had a hand in watching or raising hadn’t said their first words until 10 months or later. Still, Toriel knew it was simply because Gaster was such a worrier. He would learn, as he did so well with everything else.

“I need to go speak with your father; will you be alright, my child?” Toriel ran her paw over the top of Sans’s skull and smiled when his eyes closed serenely .

“k.”

Gaster was standing over Papyrus’s crib, watching his youngest dream peacefully--a state that was only natural to him while he was sleeping. His mind whirred over what had happened over the course of your visit today and he felt a warm beat in his soul. You certainly were a natural with children--you hadn’t bothered to look to him or to Toriel for guidance with how to handle Sans or Papyrus and picked up on their cues as quickly as he could.

_You need to find someone who wants the best for them._

Was that you? It was a question that circled his mind in slow paces as he watched Papyrus roll over in his sleep.

“Gaster?” Toriel whispered and peeked into the room.

“Here, I’m here,” Gaster sighed quietly and turned away from the crib so he could meet Toriel in the hallway. Neither spoke until they were downstairs and in the living room.

“You know, it’s been a little while since I last saw you taken so off guard,” Toriel smiled, laughter in her tone.

Gaster frowned and scoffed, “She’s certainly not shy in her opinions.”

“I like her,” Toriel countered, “And I think you saw the benefits of hiring her.”

“I wasn’t expecting to; she’s not someone I would have pictured hiring,” Gaster rubbed between his eyes, “But Sans already likes her, I can tell.”

Toriel could see Gaster’s hesitation; she pulled out the paper she had written you number down on and handed it to him.

“Think it over--you know what’s best for your children, Gaster,” Toriel hummed quietly.

“Do I?” Gaster sighed, but he took the paper just the same.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Honestly, I hope I do the skele-babies justice, cause in my head they are just TOO CUTE! :D
> 
> Comments are always appreciated, and please follow my tumblr: [PurpleFictionMom.tumblr.com](http://purplefictionmom.tumblr.com/) My asks and messages are always open!


	5. Chapter 5

You hated paying bills--never out of any sense of insolence, but just for the _stress_ of it all. The Bensons had been kind to you, enough so that you had managed to put away some money, but it wasn’t going to last at this rate. Only two weeks out of work and already it was time to dip into what you had saved.

Your hands came up and you hid your face to take a few deep breaths. Just budget and do what you can, it's all you could do. Someone would call; you were a hard worker with 12 years experience, there was no way you wouldn’t find a new source of income, right?

As if in answer to your slowly depressing thoughts, your phone started to buzz on the table in front of you.

“Nanny Zelda,” You answered without thinking--it was something you had started for the children you watched who had a fear of calling the wrong number.

“Ms. Emmerson.”

The voice that greeted you was a touch warmer than when you met him at his home the weekend before, which was a good sign, “Gaster; thank you for calling.”

There was a pause and you pressed your lips together; if you didn’t know any better, you wondered if Gaster simply wasn’t used to using phones. You let out a breath you didn’t know you were holding when Gaster finally spoke again.

“After some consideration, I feel it appropriate to hire you given your resume and experience,” Gaster sounded stiff and you wondered if he was the type of person who preferred to look someone in the eye when he spoke to them, “If you would be so kind as to return to my home, we may discuss the details.”

Gaster sounded relieved to be ending the phone call and you set up a time for the next day to drop by. Well, a job was a comfort, now you just needed to figure out the rest.

~*~

Summer was nearly half over by the time you finished moving the last of your things into the bedroom that you were being provided in Gaster’s home, or into storage. It would take a little more time before the room was decorated and comfortable, but you weren’t a stranger to this process. Gaster and his children would be the third full-time nanny position you had since you started watching kids right out of high school.

Your ears perked up when Papyrus started to make a shrill, high pitched noise that took you a moment to recognize as crying. He certainly had a healthy set of lungs on him, no doubt.

Gaster had just placed Papyrus into his high chair when you wandered into the kitchen. The doctor didn’t bat an eye as he pulled a bottle out of the fridge and handed it to the small skeletal child. You took note of how Papyrus only chewed on the cool nipple rather than drank any of the liquid inside.

“Teething?” You asked before you moved to the sink and washed your hands.

Gaster, looking uncomfortable and tired, watched you before he answered, “Skeleton monsters don’t actually grow teeth the way humans do--our teeth are all there when we are born, but must split.”

You winced before you moved a chair in front of Papyrus’s high chair. The child had warmed a little more to you, but you waited until he reached one of his hands for you before you moved closer and held his hand so you could examine his mouth.

Just as Gaster said, there was one tooth separated from the rest of the bone on either side of it and another crack was starting at the bottom of his mouth.

“That seems painful,” You murmured before you gently rubbed the top of Papyrus’s head with your free hand and stood again.

“What are you looking for?” Gaster watched you carefully.

“Washcloths, any clean?” You asked without looking up as you started to familiarize yourself with the layout of his kitchen.

“The drawer left of the sink,” He answered, “What are you doing?”

 

“Old remedy for teething,” You winked at him and felt a little amused when he tensed. Still, you set about your work, running the rag until cold water, “Any plastic bags? Of the sandwich variety?”

Gaster raised a brow bone but grabbed one for you as you wrung the water out of the rag and folded it so it would fit into the bag snugly. Then, you opened the fridge and tucked the bag into the bottom shelf before setting a timer on the microwave for ten minutes.

“How many infants have you watched?” Gaster asked as he took the chair you had moved in front of Papyrus while you leaned against the breakfast bar, already seeming at ease in his--and now yours as well--home.

“When I first started, it was the age I specialized in,” You said, “I worked in a daycare’s infant room until I was about 21; then I nannied my first family. A little boy who was 10 and a little baby girl.”

Gaster hummed and offered Papyrus his hand when the baby started to fuss, “Do you like children?”

It seemed a silly question, but you answered it anyway, “I really do; they’re full of vive and vigor. Plus, they ask the neatest questions.”

“What sorts of questions are those?” Gaster raised his brow again.

“‘Why is the sky blue?’, ‘Do you think bugs have dreams?’, ‘Can clouds have little brothers?’; those are a few of my favorites,” You found yourself smiling, “Kids are just a joy, when you have the right idea of how to be around them.”

Gaster wondered what you meant, but didn’t ask; instead, he turned his head to Papyrus, who was starting to fuss again. While he was distracted, you moved around and put another damp rag into a bag and put it into the fridge when the timer went off.

The first rag was cold in your hands as you approached father and son.

“WAGAH NEE, WAGAH NEE!” Papyrus was starting to have bright, glowing orange tears appear at the corner of his eyes as he fussed and drooled.

“I know it doesn’t feel good, Papyrus, but-” He cut himself off as you plucked the bottle from the tray and put the wet rag in its place. He raised an eyebrow at you and nearly took it away as Papyrus reached for it and immediately put it in his mouth, “Papyrus, don’t-”

“He’ll be fine,” You assured him and put the bottle back in the fridge, “I won’t let him swallow it and it’ll sooth the pain.”

Gaster wasn’t so sure, but he pulled his hand away and watched as Papyrus squished the rag in his mouth while his tiny hands held on and tugged at the other end. The tears remained for a moment, but quickly were forgotten in favor of the new ‘toy’.

“How...unorthodox,” Gaster said and kept a careful eye on the small child.

“Well, children don’t care much for orthodox,” You shrugged and sat on the opposite corner of the table from Gaster, “They’re blank slates--a chair is only for sitting when you’re eating, but otherwise? It’s an important brace for a blanket fort.”

You nodded as if you were sure of yourself and Gaster found himself snorting, “A fort?”

“You’ve never built a blanket fort?” Your jaw dropped, and you looked positively scandalized, “Gaster, what sort of childhood did _you_ have? No, don’t answer that, because it’s obvious that it was an incomplete one.”

You stood and grinned before you hurried from the room. Gaster blinked slowly before he glanced at Papyrus, “We have found a peculiar human, haven’t we son?”

“WAH” Papyrus burped in agreement.

“Sans! Want to play a game?” Gaster heard you call upstairs before there was the sound of heavy movement coming from the living room.

Papyrus was a slight weight as Gaster picked him up and ignored the small damp feeling on his chest as the baby continued to chew on the cold cloth. Sans was already in the living room when he peaked in, watching as the two of you moved the couch forward until it was against the coffee table.

“oh, oh, right and then,” You were smiling as you let Sans take the lead; he seemed to understand what the two of you were building, because he directed you easily.

“can we use chairs from the dining room?” Sans’s eyes were already stars as you hopped up and ducked past Gaster in order to pull in two chairs from the dining room.

“Who’s going to clean this, then?” Gaster questioned lightly.

“Obviously the ones who make it,” You chimed; Sans shrugged, but when he agreed with you, Gaster started to relax, “Okay, Sans, go ahead and show me where your father keeps the blankets and sheets.”

The two of you were up the stairs before Gaster could offer any direction. He finally stepped into the sitting room and examined the strange arrangement the two of you had made of the furniture. The two chairs were standing a few feet apart and both were about three feet away from the back of the couch. The space between had couch pillows and cushions covering the floor.

Just what-

His thoughts and examinations were interrupted by the sound of you and Sans coming back down the stairs laden down with blankets and a small backpack that looked full.

Gaster opened his mouth to ask, but you were already spreading the blanket over the top of the couch and the chairs so that there was an opening one of the chairs and the couch. The blanket didn’t quite come to the floor between the chairs and only came down halfway at the back, but you were already fixing that with two sheets.

You giggled and crawled into the ‘fort’ until you were against the back of it and Sans quickly went after you. His bones were practically rattling from excitement and Gaster couldn’t deny how good it felt to hear it. Sans was such a laid back child, very little could over excite him or make him buzz like now.

Only a few hours in the house and you were already connecting with him. Gaster couldn’t explain the warm feeling that passed over his soul.

“dad, come in,” Sans poked his head and reached for Papyrus, “i’ll hold paps; come on.”

Gaster hummed, but eased Papyrus into Sans’s hold and then squatted down to look inside. You were sitting with your back against the couch, your legs cross. You rubbed the top of Papyrus’s head once and then checked his rag before the child reached both hands toward you. You picked him up without hesitation and Papyrus settled into your lap, still happily chewing on his rag.

The fort was a little small for a monster of his height, so he had to take care not to knock the blanket down or accidently move the chair or couch near him. Somehow, he managed just as Sans started to dig things out of the backpack.

First, a flashlight came out and then a large book that Gaster immediately recognized as something Sans had gotten from Asgore and Toriel for his last birthday.

Sans opened the hardcover book and his eyes shone like starts again as the brightly colored pages shone under his flashlight. The first picture was of the sun, with all of the planets orbiting it.

“So, which planet is your favorite, Sans?” You asked and looked at the book as Papyrus examined the inside of the fort.

“pluto,” Sans said easily.

“I thought Pluto wasn’t a planet anymore?” You asked curiously, and Gaster was struck with how you weren’t actually correcting his son.

“it wasn’t,” Sans nodded, “but they just changed their minds! it’s a planet again cause it has a moon, and i think it’s the coolest planet cause it's so small and they don’t really know a lot about it, but just cause it's _so_ far away!”

You nodded along with Sans as the child turned in his book and began explaining all about the smallest planet. You smiled easily and asked questions like a diligent student. Gaster found himself listing off after only a dozen of minutes, but his eyes returned to you often.

For your part, you were interested in what Sans had to say; it was obvious the child loved all things to do with space and knew more than you had ever hoped to learn about the subject. The small child’s eyes shone as stars every time he started on a new page, but you marveled at the small pin-prick lights that were his norm.

Papyrus yawned and suckled the edge of the rag before you gently tugged it from his mouth and cradled him gently in your lap, letting him lay so he could still watch his brother read from the pages excitedly.

Gaster actually hated to remind Sans of his bedtime, “We have a meeting at your school in the morning, son.”

Despite the brief flash of disappointment, he was already past it as he asked, “Can Nanny Zelda help you tuck me in?”

You couldn’t stop the edges of your lips from curling up into a smile, but you glanced up at Gaster, “If that’s a special bonding time for the two of you-”

“No, no, it would be fine,” Gaster reached out and took a dozing Papyrus from you before you stopped him from leaving.

“Sans, what do you call a fort with no support?” Your eyes twinkled, but only Gaster seemed to notice.

“um...i don’t know?” Sans tilted his head to one side as he looked up at you.

You reached up and smiled wickedly, “You call it _toppled_.” And then you yanked the blanket off the couch so it fell over all three of you. Sans laughed at both your joke--which you appreciated, since you knew it wasn’t great--and at the noise his father made as the blanket fell over him.

Getting out was easy for you, since you were already half out when you pulled the blanket down over them. You let Sans have his laugh before you gathered up the blanket and both sheets with your arms and yanked them off carefully.

“Alright, Sans, up and up, time to head upstairs,” You smiled down at the skeleton family, before you draped the linens over the back of the couch and started to take the chairs back toward the kitchen.

“k,” Sans smiled again and you heard him chatter happily with his father as the three of them headed for the stairs.

Gaster was a little uptight, you decided, but you were happy to see him go with the flow in concerns to his children--too many parents insisted that their children act like adults, or follow some inane rules that kids would have no hope at guessing until it was too late.

You slowed in your movements as you folded the sheets and glanced back toward the stairs. They seemed like a good family. An echo of Sans and Papyrus laughing made you smile.

Yes; a good family.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Man, I love this fic :3
> 
> I don't really know how fast or slow the romance is going to be (fair warning, I usually make decent slow-burns; as in, 20 or more chapters before a kiss/a decent reaction to romance) but I'm mostly just going to let the story dictate it.
> 
> Comments are always appreciated, and please follow my tumblr: [PurpleFictionMom.tumblr.com](http://purplefictionmom.tumblr.com/) My asks and messages are always open!


	6. Chapter 6

Settling into a routine was easy with the Gaster children.

With Gaster up for work and Papyrus already usually awake when you went to check on him in the mornings, it meant that most of their routines were already there. Gaster would often--to your shock and surprise--simply teleport to work when it came time for his shift to start. This left you a little time with the boys while they ate breakfast before you planned out the rest of the day for the three of you.

Sans was certainly a laid-back and relaxed child; he was happy to go with the flow in all things and often didn’t care to make his own decisions, even when you encouraged it. A part of you wondered if it was his own personality or Gaster’s doting that caused this, but it wasn’t the problem that Gaster often wondered if it was.

“It’s easy, Gaster,” You shrugged one night after putting the boys to sleep, “Simply tell him he has to get himself ready in the morning. Then, he’ll have to choose his own clothes, his own shoes, whether he wants to brush his teeth before or after breakfast, all of that.”

“And what if he doesn’t do it? Or makes a bad decision?” Gaster crossed his arms, obviously soured on the idea before even trying it.

“I mean, he’s 6; is there really such a thing as a ‘bad’ decision at his age?” You countered, crossing your own arms, but in a less aggressive way, “The worst that could happen is he forgets a shoe, or wears yesterday’s clothes and those sorts of things are easily fixed by sending him back to his room.”

Gaster still didn’t look convinced and tugged at the end of his sleeves, so you simply added, “How about you let me be in charge of waking Sans up, just for one week. If, by next Wednesday, he isn’t comfortable or succeeding, we’ll go back to your method, hmm?”

When he didn’t seem as keen, you shook your head, “Gaster, I’m only able to do what you allow me to do--you asked me to take care of your children, but I’m the Nanny, not their mother.”

While you had never mentioned the missing matron of the family, Gaster didn’t even seem concerned. While you had helped single-parent families before, often mentioning the missing family member would cause a flinch or hesitation. Gaster didn’t even bat an eye.

“Alright, then we’ll start tomorrow,” Gaster folded his hands behind his back, “Sans should be woken at 6am sharp.”

“Got it,” You nodded in agreement, “Goodnight, Gaster.”

“Goodnight, Ms. Emmerson.”

“You know you can call me Zelda, right?” You smirked and quirked an eyebrow, already knowing what he would do.

“Noted,” He hummed and turned away, heading down the hallway toward his own bedroom.

You smiled at his back before you turned and headed for your own bedroom which was directly over where his office was down on the first floor. The room was clean and well kept, but you hated how bare the walls were. Ah well, you’d get around to hanging things up soon.

~*~

The next morning, you got Sans up and he yawned as he sat up, “where’s dad?”

“Your father is making coffee just now, I’m sure,” You smiled, “I’ll be getting you up for the rest of this week, babybones.”

Sans normally groaned when his father pulled out that particular nickname, but he didn’t even comment on it as you opened his curtains.

“Alright, how about you get dressed and meet me in the bathroom? I need to go and check on Papyrus.”

Sans blinked and hesitated, “uh, dad normally helps me pick out clothes and all that stuff.”

He sounded so unsure that you offered him a smile, “Well, why don’t you pick out some clothes and I’ll be right back to help you?”

When he still hesitated, you stepped out of the room and headed next door to the baby room, where Papyrus was already awake and waiting. He was such a peculiar baby, you noted. Every morning, you did not hear him until someone came to his room to assure him that it was wake-up time. Then, all bets were off.

“Good morning, bittybones!” You cooed and reached your hands toward him, silently asking if he wanted to be picked up and doing so when he reached back, “Ready to go help your big brother get dressed?”

“BWAH! SAHS!” He raised his arms and flailed them hard enough that you had to be sure of your grip on him.

“Righto, to Sans’s room!” You cried and pumped a fist into the air.

When you stepped into the hallway, you saw Gaster coming up the stairs; he looked unsure and glanced from Papyrus to Sans’s door.

“How are they doing?” He asked quietly.

You smiled up at him, “Gaster, it’s been less than 10 minutes; and don’t worry--Sans has his first introduction to getting dressed on his own, so I was about to peak back in and check on him. Want to see?”

Gaster folded his hands behind his back, but allowed you to step into the room first.

“How’s it going in here?” You asked and blinked when you saw Sans sitting in the middle of the floor, looking lost, “Sans, what’s the issue?”

“i, uh…” He looked down, almost ashamed, “i dunno…”

You hummed curiously before you turned and handed Papyrus to Gaster, who was peeking into the room, “Here you are; I bet bittybones is ready for his morning bottle, huh?”

Papyrus began squirming and nearly dislodged himself from his father’s grip in his excitement, “BABAH! BABAH!”

You smiled, but you had to ignore Gaster’s grimace--he wanted to work Papyrus away from bottles, which you knew you could work on, but slowly. For now, you let Papyrus’s excitement guarantee that Gaster would leave you to work with Sans alone for a few minutes.

Once you heard the two of them trumping down the stairs, you turned back to Sans and sat on the edge of his unmade bed.

“Alright, kiddo,” You leaned back on your hands, “What’s wrong? Do you know where your clothes are?”

“um...yeah,” Sans admitted and stood up. He moved toward a set of drawers that were painted with blue bones and stars; he pulled open the middle drawer and then glanced at you, as if waiting for the next step.

You simply smiled at him, “Did you find potatoes instead of shirts?”

Sans blinked, but snorted, “no, that’s silly.”

“Well, then you better _peel_ those pj’s off and get dressed, huh?” You winked at him and Sans stared at you before he snorted and started to snicker.

“oh my gosh what was that?” he pulled out of t-shirt with a rocket on it, with lots of technical jargon that explained each section of the rocket.

“It’s called a pun,” You smiled, “Just a little humor; lots of people think they’re too half- _baked_ to be funny, but they _mash_ my funny bone just right.”

Sans was giggling and pulled out a pair of shorts to go with his shirt--it wasn’t exactly a great color combination, but for a 6 year old, it was perfect.

“Alright, babybones, go ahead and get dressed,” You smiled, “You did a great job picking out your clothes today, so I think I’ll give you an extra special snack this afternoon: Nice Cream.”

His eyes sparkled, “Really?”

“You can’t have it every day, cause you should be getting dressed on your own,” You chided him gently, “But I think everyone should be rewarded for trying something new, don’t you?”

Sans nodded and he started to get dressed. You gave him his privacy and closed the door behind you before you stepped downstairs and started making breakfast.

“Hope you don’t mind scrambled eggs,” You quipped to Gaster with a smile, “They’re the quickest.”

“Thank you,” Gaster was already feeding Papyrus out of a jar, “Is Sans alright?”

“He picked out his own clothes and learned a new comedic art-form,” You smiled as you cracked eggs into the pan that was already starting to heat up, “All-in-all, I think today was a rousing success.”

Gaster hummed, but didn’t disagree with you.

Work called Gaster away not long after Sans came down from his bedroom. Sans greeted his father and closed his eyes in happiness when Gaster kissed his forehead as he said goodbye. You could tell Sans adored his father and vice-versa. It was more than sweet and you felt your heart melting at the sight of it.

“Have a good day at work, Gaster,” You called after him as he walked toward the front door; you knew he stopped into his office to grab anything he had been working on the night before before he teleported.

“Good day, Ms. Emmerson,” He called back without looking.

“You can call me Zelda,” You pulled out a jug of juice so you could give Sans a little extra before he was finished eating.

“Noted.” You barely heard the word before there was a slight buzzing sound that marked his teleportation.

“why doesn’t dad call you what you want to be called?” Sans asked, ketchup on the corners of his face as he finished his eggs.

You smiled, “Well, I think your father has an idea in his head about what’s proper and improper; or maybe it's an idea of professionalism.”

“GEEGAHMO!” Papyrus cheered.

“Yes, I know Papyrus, I think it’s funny, too,” You sipped your coffee slowly as you finally sat down to eat yourself, “Anyway, I’m mostly just teasing; he can call me whatever he’s comfortable with.”

“can i keep calling you nanny zelda?” Sans asked, watching you over his cup as he finished his juice.

You handed him a napkin and pointed to his cheeks, “Of course you can, Sans.”

“cool,” Sans’s grin widened.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I've written pretty far ahead and here's some things for you:
> 
> 1) The early chapters here aren't really plot heavy--they're mostly things I wanted to write about and thought would be cute!
> 
> 2) This is a medium-burn, I guess? You'll probably see these two knuckleheads falling in love in not-so-obvious ways, like Gaster watching Zelda with his children and Zelda realizing what sort of person Gaster is through his interactions with her and the children.
> 
> 3) THERE IS SOME HEAVIER THEMES COMING UP LATER! Not like, super heavy, but you guys will probably start seeing the sub-plots soon and they'll start picking up more traction as we go
> 
> 4) No idea how long this one will be (I've already written up to chapter 17, but I'm no where near anything like an ending, so look forward to at least that many chapters haha)
> 
> 5) THANK YOU GUYS! I love getting comments from you guys, it's so fun to interact with everyone :D
> 
> Comments are always appreciated, and please follow my tumblr: [PurpleFictionMom.tumblr.com](http://purplefictionmom.tumblr.com/) My asks and messages are always open!


	7. Chapter 7

Time passed quickly as you worked. It seemed as if you turned around and suddenly, summer was over and Sans was starting 2nd Grade. Gaster was nearly beside himself with anxiety the night before: packing and repacking Sans’s Star Wars backpack, double checking with you as to what sort of lunch you would be making him after breakfast, asking you three separate times to make sure you had the school’s address in your phone so you could GPS the walking route.

“Gaster, Sans will be fine, but are _you_ going to be ok?” You asked him as you showed him your phone for the third time, “You keep this up and you’ll never be able to sleep tonight.”

That seemed to shake him a little, but you could see him glance longingly toward Sans’s backpack again, likely itching to check its contents just one more time.

“What are you so worried about?” You asked gently, reaching over and handing him the bag so he could check yet again.

The distraction seemed welcome and he said, “I’ve never sent a child to school before--it's natural to be nervous.”

“It’s natural for the _child_ to be this nervous,” You quipped with a smile, “If Sans sees you like this in the morning, he’s going to carry that with him all the way through his first day.”

“What if he doesn’t know where to go?” Gaster asked, ignoring your words.

“We went to that ‘Explore your campus’ introduction-thing and they showed us exactly where he goes--Sans will remember,” You shrugged, “Probably better than you or me combined, to be honest.”

Gaster narrowed his eyes, but you let it slide off your back--overreacting parents, you could handle. That was the norm and to be expected. You were just happy that Gaster actually _had_ that side to him. For the first month, you had nearly thought him a machine with how distant and aloof he acted.

Sans let you in on the truth very quickly: Gaster wasn’t one to meet strangers very often and he wasn’t fond of the experience in any regard. He put up with it for work, but in his personal life, he preferred the normal coil that he had already set up for himself: the same friends and family that he had his entire life.

You tried not to snort at the memory of Gaster’s first parental overload: when Papyrus wouldn’t stop screaming and he had no idea what to do about it:

_“Sans was never like this, I just-” He had looked exasperated and almost scared, likely thinking the worst._

_“Babies sometimes get fussy and since they can’t talk, we’ll probably never know what set him off,” You shrugged and spoke loudly to be heard over Papyrus’s cries, “Here, just watch.”_

_You offered Papyrus your hands, but he didn’t reach for them. Instead, he turned and let himself fall onto his mattress in his crib and kicked his legs. Gaster looked ready to dive in to try and pick the child up again, but you held up a hand._

_“Hold on, he’s trying to have a conversation,” You said and listened for a few more minutes until Papyrus needed to calm down enough to take a few deep breaths._

_“Oh, my poor bittybones,” You immediately started talking, “Is that what’s bothering you? That just sounds so horrible! The worst thing anyone has ever had to go through!”_

_Papyrus sniffled and while you knew he couldn’t understand your words, he still listened. Gaster was still flustered._

_“He can’t understand you, you’re just speaking nothing to him,” He rubbed his face._

_“So? Papyrus isn’t a dummy--he can still hear my feelings,” You smiled at Papyrus, “Yes you can, Papyrus; you can hear just how sorry I am for you and yes, I do want to hear you, do go on.”_

_But Papyrus didn’t start to scream again; tears still leaked down his face and he looked miserable, but when you offered your hands again, he reached up and let you pick him up. Gaster looked at a complete loss._

_“I don’t...how did you do-” Gaster huffed again and finally sank into the rocking chair, “He’s been crying for 4 hours.”_

_You offered Gaster a sympathetic smile, “I know, I’ve been awake for all four.”_

_The clock on the wall--covered in bunnies and chicks--ticked lazily and showed 3:55 in the morning. You yawned and gently bounced Papyrus._

_“Normally I consider myself ‘off’ from the kids’ bedtime until 6am, but you sounded as miserable as bittybones did,” You cradled Papyrus so he was laying in your arms with his head on your shoulder._

_Gaster laughed without humor, “How did you do that?”_

_“Well, I can’t take all the credit,” You sat on the matching footstool near Gaster’s rocking chair and let most of Papyrus settle onto your legs, “Anyone would be tired after four hours of crying.”_

_“He screamed at you too,” Gaster countered._

_You shrugged, “Babies can’t use words to express themselves, but emotions are something that children have in abundance, until their personalities develop a little more or adulthood squashes them. I gave it a good old guess that Papyrus could hear your irritation at being awake all night and wasn’t responding well to it.”_

_Gaster blinked slowly, “I...never thought of that.”_

_“Most people don’t; kids can seem like a hit or miss type of thing when adults try to understand them,” You started to quiet your voice as you saw Papyrus’s eyes start to droop, “Keeping up on what children understand versus what they don’t understand is a full time job, no joke.”_

_“Are you sure you’re not just saying that to ensure job security?” Gaster’s tone was flat as he asked, but when you looked up at him, he was leaning his head over onto one hand as his elbow rested on the arm of the rocking chair; a smirk was settled on his face. There was a moment, then, where your heart leapt up into your throat--not from fear. You felt your heart start to pound and you wondered if he could see the heat on your cheeks._

_You snorted quietly and teased, “Well…”_

“Why don’t you go into work late tomorrow?” You questioned, “You could come with us to walk Sans to school and see him off; then, bing-boom teleportation to work, no harm or foul.”

Gaster paused and considered it, “I’ve...never gone into work late before,” He finally admitted.

You tilted your head and let your mouth drop a little in surprise, “You’ve never? Never, _ever_?”

“No; my work is and has always been important,” Gaster rolled his eyes, but he hadn’t said ‘no’ yet, “It wouldn’t be prudent or wise to just show up whenever I wanted to,” Gaster was so serious when he explained it--like you were some sort of delinquent who showed up late regularly, rather than the nanny who lived in his house and was on-time by virtue of living in the same house as your job.

“Well, c’mon, live a little,” You smiled and teased, “After all, it’s Sans’s first day of school! You’ll never get it back once it’s gone.”

That thought seemed to stay with him for a long while.

You both bid each other goodnight and turned in for sleep, but you wondered if Gaster would break down and decide to come with you the next morning.

~*~

If Sans was nervous, you really couldn’t tell. A little slower eating, maybe, but you smiled at his clothing choice while you cleaned up from breakfast.

He had dressed in a shirt he had begged his father to buy for his first day of school when you all had gone to the store to buy his school supplies. It had a cartoonish picture of Saturn with its rings, but with triangular eyes and a cut-out smile. The words “Jack-o-Saturn” were beneath it and it had made you and Sans laugh for a long time in the store.

Now, you glanced at the ceiling, “You’re father’s gonna be late if he keeps stalling.”

“NYEH!” Papyrus giggled and chewed on the tip of his sippy cup.

“That’s right, bittybones,” You nodded, “Oh well, whether or not he’s late for work, we don’t want to be late for Sans’s first day; lets get your backpack from the living room.”

“k,” Sans leapt from his chair and hurried into the hallway, “heya, dad; thanks.”

You glanced at the archway but quickly finished clearing off the plates so you could do them when you came back. You picked Papyrus up out of his high chair and headed for the front door.

Gaster was waiting for you when you reached it. You handed Papyrus to him for a moment and turned to the closet near the front door so you could pull out a stroller that you quickly unfolded, “Wishing us a good walk, or…?”

He looked thoroughly uninterested, but still hesitated when he answered, “I will be walking with you and the boys.”

“yes!” Sans pumped his arm before he slipped his backpack over one shoulder and helped you by clipping Papyrus into his place in the stroller. Gaster looked pleased, even as he tugged on the ends of his sleeves.

Late August meant that some heat was still in the air during the day, even as the world began to turn toward fall, but this early in the morning, you were happy for the playful breeze and the first signs of fall: the first leaves were starting to change from vibrant greens to yellow and on their way to reds and oranges.

It was nearly time for your favorite season.

Sans’s school, Newest Home Academy, was a campus of some size. The Queen had founded it nearly as soon as she was allowed by the local government and started with a class of 30, from what you knew. As the class grew and aged, Toriel could hardly part from them and followed their progress while adding teachers and students as the years passed.

Now, 6 years later, it catered to grades K-12 and offered many classes for college prep. It even had a few classes every few months about Monster Culture that humans could take to inform themselves and encourage integration of the two races.

You were already enrolled in the night classes that were supposed to start next month. Normally, you dedicated yourself to being a Nanny from wake up to when the children went to sleep, but with this being your first monster family, you wanted to be as informed as possible. Gaster was surprised when you asked for the nights off for the class, but hadn’t made comment other than to grant you the time off.

“SKA! SHOO!” Papyrus giggled and made a fuss as the building came closer, “SAHS SHOO!”

“So big, right, bittybones?” You pushed the sun-shade on the stroller forward a little so you could look down at the infant, “Before you know it, _you’ll_ be on your first day, huh?”

“NYEH!” Papyrus started to clap and tried to throw his sippy cup, but you leaned over the stroller and managed to grab the bottom of it.

“Oh, no you don’t!” You laughed and put it up in the cupholder for now.

“heh, nice catch nanny zelda,” Sans adjusted the backpack on his back before he slowed his steps.

The four of you approached the playground--you knew that there was a fair amount of time before Sans would be called in, but he didn’t seem keen on joining the other children. A glance toward Gaster showed you that he was just as keen on staying away from the other children as well.

They were so much alike, you wondered if Sans was simply a younger clone of the older monster. You pushed the stroller closer to the playground and saw two other adults there--two teachers, you assumed--who were talking to each other while they watched the children.

“Undyne! No spears on the playground!” One of them called as you approached; when she noticed you, she offered you a smile, “Good morning! Here to drop off?”

You smiled back, “Yes, dropping off a shy little-”

When you glanced back, you saw that neither Gaster nor Sans had moved from their place; you rolled your eyes and pointed discreetly, “The little skeleton, there.”

“Oh, Sans Gaster, right? I’m his teacher,” She lifted her hand and shook your hand, “Lilly Verona.”

“I’m the Nanny, Zelda Emmerson,” You shook her hand, “And this little bittybones is Papyrus.”

“NYEH! HOWHA!”

“Oh, how precious!” She cooed, “I could just take you home with me!”

Papyrus seemed a little unsure about that and leaned back in the stroller. Lilly giggled, not seeming to notice as she waved to Gaster and Sans, who finally made their way over to the two of you.

“Dr. Gaster,” Lilly greeted him politely, “And Sans! It’s nice to finally meet you! I’m sorry I didn’t get to during the ‘Explore your campus’ event, but I was out of town.”

“Yes, they told us,” Gaster was his usual blunt and surly self, but you were happy to see that it was only his simple detachment he was showing.

“heya, teach,” Sans greeted easily before he glanced at the playground again.

“Do you want to go play?” Lilly asked as she knelt next to him to talk.

“eh, i dunno if i’m ready for that, no _bones_ about it,” Sans’s grin widened when you snorted and tried to turn your head away to hide your laughter.

Lilly blinked at Sans and glanced up at you as you laughed; it was a few more moments before she laughed, obviously unsure of the joke, “Well...why don’t we introduce you to a couple of the other students? Undyne! Alphys! Please come over here.”

You leaned gently onto the stroller as a fish child (twice as tall as Sans, you noted) and a small yellow dinosaur stepped closer. You thought they both were adorable. Both were wearing ribbons, but Undyne’s were dirty and full of sand while Alphys’s looks glued to the scales on her head spikes.

“HEY! I’m Undyne, punk!” Undyne’s voice sounded well used, even at her age.

“I...I’m Alphys,” The other stuttered and stepped from foot to foot nervously.

“heya,” Sans grinned, “i’m sans the skeleton, as in _sans_ skin.”

You couldn’t stop yourself from bursting into giggles; you tried to duck behind the stroller to hide it, but you could feel both Gaster and Lilly’s stares. When you looked again, Alphys was smiling and Undyne looked ready to kill something.

“OH that was so BAD!” Undyne grouched, but she was still smiling, “C’mon, punk! I’ll show you how to fly off the slide!”

The three children ran off, even as Lilly shouted after them, “You better not, Undyne!”

You shouted after them too, “Show them what you’re made of, Sans! Don’t let them _skull_ you!”

You couldn’t tell if Sans heard you, but the sudden cry from Undyne of “OH MY GOD” was enough for you. Papyrus started to fuss so you handed him his sippy cup again. Lilly excused herself to go and mediate a fight between two other students.

Despite being ready to head back home--you had dishes that needed washing and a full day planned for Papyrus to keep him entertained and learning--Gaster didn’t move as you started to turn the stroller back the way you had come.

“Gaster?” You asked with your head tilted to one side.

“Hmm?” He turned his head a little toward you, but his eyes hadn’t left Sans yet.

“Gaster, Sans will be fine,” You smiled and reached out to gently touch his arm; you felt it twitch under your fingers, but he didn’t tense up so you left it, “He’s got it from here.”

“...Yes, you’re right,” Gaster straightened his back and turned to follow you from the school grounds.

You were a little surprised; you expected him to quickly teleport to work, but from the way his eyes searched the sidewalk on the way back to the house, he obvious was lost in thought. You could see he was processing things, but you wondered if it was normal for him to internalize like this.

“What’s on your mind, Gaster?” You prodded gently.

“Hmm...nothing,” He stopped walking and turned away, “I will see you after work; remember that Sans will be off at 3pm sharp.”

“Yes, Gaster; have a good day,” You chimed, but he didn’t say anything as he turned in place and then simply….vanished. The buzz of magic against your skin told you he had teleported, but your eyes had a hard time justifying what you had seen. A glitchy exit? A shimmering vanishing point? You shook your head to try and rid yourself of the dizzy feeling before you looked down at Papyrus.

“You know, before I met you three, I _never_ thought anything would surprise me, anymore,” You continued on your walk toward the house.

“BOOGAH WAGAH!” Papyrus pulled at his straps, but didn’t fuss over them yet.

“Yeah, boogah wagah for sure, bittybones,” You nodded.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so, starting with this chapter, I kind of started to throw out consistent chapter length a bit? As in, this chapter is actually nearly double the length of my usual chapter and the next chapter is....actually kind of short, haha.
> 
> I might not wait and post Chapter 8 pretty quickly, since that's the case...or maybe I should do a double post next time round? Oh well, I'll figure it out.
> 
> Comments are always appreciated, and please follow my tumblr: [PurpleFictionMom.tumblr.com](http://purplefictionmom.tumblr.com/) My asks and messages are always open!


	8. Chapter 8

It wasn’t long after that day, that Sans handed you a piece of paper from his backpack one morning.

“What’s this, babybones?” You asked, still listening for his answer even as you scanned the paper for yourself.

“i dunno, some kind of schedule for half-days and vacations i think,” Sans explained and reached for the ketchup to douse more on his pancakes; you kept an eye on this habit, but at least he wasn’t drinking the stuff.

“Hmm...you actually have a half-day coming up next week,” You said and turned to pluck the paper up on the fridge with a magnet that read “Tillby’s: Dine-in or Take-out”, “Might be a fun day for an outing for the three of us.”

“can we go to lunch with dad first?” Sans perked up.

You weren’t surprised by the request. Now that Sans was in school, Gaster had started to let himself stay later and later at work--normally, you would have taken it as a vote of confidence in your ability to care for the boys, but Sans wasn’t responding well to this.

“I’ll talk to Gaster and see what we can do,” You said--you had long since learned not to build up a child’s hopes, but it was hard to follow your own advice. Since you didn’t say yes, Sans simply lowered his chin onto the table and his eye lights went out. It was something chilling to see the first time it had happened, but now you hated to see if for completely different reasons: it meant Sans was upset and sad.

That night, after you carefully laid Papyrus into his crib--happily asleep, you were glad to note--you waited outside of Sans’s room for when Gaster would slip out. The door was cracked open, so you could hear their voices just fine. The story was some generic retelling of a human fairytale from what you could tell, but neither of them seemed to mind as he read through the pages.

Sans was so quiet, you wondered how long he was actually asleep for before Gaster stepped out of the room. His eyes found yours quickly, but he didn’t say anything until Sans’s door was completely closed.

“Do you require something?” Gaster’s tones were low.

“Just wanted to run something by you...mind if we step out of the hallway?” You glanced toward the stairs, but Gaster didn’t seem keen on making another trip up and down the stairs.

“Yes, but this way, please,” He hummed and lead you toward his bedroom.

This was a room you actively avoided--not because you didn’t think you were welcome, which you likely weren’t anyway, but because you weren’t interested in picking up after a full grown adult. The rest of the house was par for the course, but Gaster’s room was his own. Gaster seemed to appreciate it, anyway, so when you stepped inside, you realized it was the first time you had seen the inside of it.

He had a queen-sized bed with mismatched sheets and pillow cases; another desk was somehow shoved into a corner, with so many papers you wondered if he ever bothered to clear it between projects, or if he just let them accumulate, layer on layer. You glanced up at Gaster when his bedroom door clicked shut.

“What it is that you need?” He moved and finally took off his lab coat--which never seemed to come off his shoulders anymore, you noted--and sank onto the edge of his bed. His eyes watched you as you answered.

“Next Friday,” You said, “Sans has a scheduled half-day--he gets off at 11:30.”

“That seems a regular occurance here on the Surface,” Gaster hummed and you could tell he was on the verge of dismissing you, so you hurried to your point.

“Sans would like to meet up with you for lunch, before I take them somewhere for an outing,” You didn’t rush through the sentence, but it still seemed to catch Gaster off guard.

Gaster blinked at you, processing what you said. It was actually unusual for him to take a lunch break, period, and often he wouldn’t notice if he didn’t eat lunch--especially with the new research he and the others were delving into. Still, he could see the hopeful look on your face and knew Sans’s had likely reflected something similar when he had mentioned it to you…

“I...think that’s doable,” Gaster answered and glanced at the desk in the corner, where he knew he’d be spending at least a few hours tonight, “Next friday?”

“A week from tomorrow,” You clarified, “I can keep reminding you, if you want.”

“Yes, I think it prudent,” Gaster sighted and rubbed his face, “I’ll be honest and say that even after 6 years, it’s hard to balance a home life with the work I do.”

You shrugged, “All parents struggle for balance, Gaster--you’ll figure it out, or I’ll help you figure it out; either way, I still think it would be a good outing if the four of us met for lunch.”

Gaster nodded in agreement before he leaned his elbows onto his knees and looked at you. His height made him about even with you, even as he hunched over.

“Where will you be going after?” Gaster asked with his eyes holding yours easily.

“The planetarium or maybe the local aquarium,” You shrugged, “Both would probably be fun for the kids, but I sort of wanted to stop by the planetarium to see if they did anything special for birthdays.”

“Birthdays?” Gaster raised a brow at you.

You smiled guiltily, “Well, I know Sans only just turned 6, but I don’t think it’s too much to start planning now. Plus, I already had a few ideas for Papyrus’s in a couple months.”

The taller monster chuckled and stood from the bed. You hadn’t realized how tall he actually was until he stood next to you now, reaching past you to hold the door knob in his skeletal fingers.

“Then I’ll leave you to your planning,” Gaster said quietly, leaning over slightly to hover over you, “Goodnight, Ms. Emmerson.”

You wondered if the sudden warmth in your cheeks was simply a side effect of his magic, or something else entirely, “You...can call me Zelda, you know.”

Why did your voice have to sound so hoarse? And if that really was a smirk on Gaster’s mouth, you might hurt him. Instead of answering the way you expected, there was a hesitation. Nothing moved.

For what it was worth, Gaster wasn’t entirely sure what was happening either. He felt an extreme fondness for you wash over him suddenly, for the way you spoke of his children and cared, not just for their physical needs, but for every part of who they were as _people_. Even he had been guilty of falling into the easy pitfalls of parenthood, often just expecting that his children would simply go along because he was their father and obviously knew what was best.

But you...challenged all of that. You cared if Sans was upset or sad, and Papyrus was nearly saying full words in just the 6 weeks you had been here.

He wondered if he could ever make you understand how grateful he was for it, for even the short time you had been here already. And now to this situation…

Just what was he thinking? Being close to you had never been an issue before--the both of you often were side by side when handling the children at night, but more and more often, he felt the buzz of his magic every time he brushed your skin. And now…

“Noted,” He finally breathed and pulled the door open for you.

You swallowed, “Goodnight, Gaster.” And then you turned and headed for your room, your face burning and your heart hammering against the inside of your chest.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, like I said, inconsistent chapter length, haha~


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **** WOAH THERE!  
> THIS IS PART OF A DOUBLE POST FOR TODAY!!  
> MAKE SURE YOU'VE ALREADY READ CHAPTER 8!!

The school was always a madhouse when it came time to pick-up Sans, and the half-day was no different. Cars were lined up around the corner and groups of parents were bunched up on sidewalks, which made you glad for the large wheels on Papyrus’s stroller, so you could simply travel over the grass toward the school’s playground once you managed to get to the break in the fence.

“Man, bittybones, it's like they don’t realize that people are trying to walk, huh?” You huffed.

“MOOOOH WAKAH HO!” Papyrus waved his arms excitedly.

“You tell them, bitty!” You lifted one arm to match Papyrus and the two of you excitedly charged ahead.

“heya, nanny zelda,” Sans was already waiting with his bag packed and on his back. Despite his laid back smile, you could tell how excited he was. Normally, you had to pull him away from his friends at the end of the day, and often you were happy to let him play for a few minutes while you spoke with his teacher or another parent, but today the three of you had to take the bus.

“How was school, Sans?” You asked as the three of you broke away from the main crowd of parents on the sidewalk and headed across the street to the next block.

“it was okay,” Sans shrugged, “math is pretty boring.”

“Oh? Is it too hard? Or too easy?” You sat on the nearby bus bench and pulled Papyrus’s stroller in front of you as Sans slid onto the bench next to you.

“eh, it's pretty easy,” Sans leaned back onto his backpack, “ms. verona says i can’t leave my seat after i’m finished with my worksheet, but she says i can’t sleep at my desk either; it's boring.”

You saw the bus down the street, but you looked down at Sans as he explained it, “Really? How much time do you have after you finish?”

Sans shrugged, “i dunno, 30 minutes?”

It was so strange to talk to a child Sans’s age who already had such a strong grasp of days of the week and time, but Sans was certainly a prodigy in terms of his smarts.

“Well, we’ll have a talk with Ms. Verona and see if we can’t come to an agreement,” You said, “If you’re finding 2nd Grade math so easy, maybe Gaster will want to have you take an aptitude test or something.”

“sounds hard,” Sans whined.

You laughed, “Quite the contrary, my young babybones--an aptitude test will place you in the correct level of math and instead of finishing early, you can spend the time actually learning. You love learning.”

Sans shrugged and you watched him sink a little deeper into his spot on the bench.

“Sans, is something-”

“bus is here,” He interrupted--something he never did--and hopped off the bench to wait by the doors.

You decided that you would give the small skeleton some breathing room before you asked again. It wasn’t like him to just clam up all of a sudden, but ever since Gaster started staying late at the lab…

You sighed and picked Papyrus up before you folded the stroller and boarded the bus.

It was a little struggle with both Sans and Papyrus making a fuss--apparently neither had been on a bus before--but once you were seated with Papyrus on your lap and Sans next to you, things settled.

“BAH GOWA!” Papyrus waved his arms in the air toward the bus driver, and then giggled when the bus started to pull away from the stop.

“where are we meeting dad?” Sans looked up at you.

“Tillby’s,” You said easily, smiling down at him.

Despite the fact that you were cooking most of the meals now, Tillby’s had apparently been a staple in Gaster’s and Sans’s diet for the past few years and breaking those two of that habit had been a battle you decided not to fight. They both had great memories that they were happy to share with you about it.

So now Tillby’s was a weekend occasion--usually lunch on Saturday or breakfast on Sunday, but one meal--or sometimes more--was spent at the little diner every weekend. Gaster normally teleported the four of you, but it was certainly an adventure to ride the bus.

Sans’s eyes sparkled at this information, but you fished a sippy cup out of the diaper bag that was sitting on the floor next to the stroller. Papyrus was struggling and sounded ready to fuss at any moment. Luckily, the bus was only for a few blocks and you didn’t need any transfers; no, that would be the journey after lunch, on the way to the aquarium.

Tillby’s was visible before long and you quickly reached up to pull the string that let out a soft ‘ding!’ and made the driver start to slow down. Sans was fascinated by the process and asked if he could pull it on the way to the aquarium--you smiled and agreed, but you were more focused on getting all three of you off the bus in one piece.

Sans, ever the good big brother, took Papyrus from you and happily headed off the bus as you grabbed the bag and stroller.

“Thank you,” You smiled at the driver, who started and blinked up at you as if he wasn’t expecting that.

He didn’t answer, but you didn’t expect him to--you did feel a little bad that no one on his route seemed grateful, but you were busy with the boys.

“Can you carry Papyrus to the diner? It seems like a waste of time to open the stroller with such a short walk,” You glanced over the parking lot and then down at Sans.

“yeh, i can,” Sans smiled, “c’mon paps; dad is gonna meet us here.”

That reminded you: you quickly pulled out your phone and shot Gaster a text. Nothing more than a simple ‘ _we’re here and waiting_ ’ with a small smiling emoji, but with him able to teleport, he was almost guaranteed to be in the diner before the three of you.

Except, he wasn’t. You greeted Tillby--a pretty purple flame elemental--who motioned the three of you back to your usual booth and her son--Grillby, who was apparently just out of high school--happily helped you tuck the stroller out of the way before seeming to summon a high chair out of nowhere.

“Thanks, Till, Grillby,” You smiled and let them get back to other customers as you looked around the diner. Still, no sign of Gaster.

Oh no.

~*~

“Mass and Time _can’t_ be equal,” Inker grunted from her stool. She stood on it to be able to reach the blackboard, where she and Gaster were arguing over numbers, “The readings must be wrong.”

“They can’t be wrong,” Gaster sighed and rubbed his face, ignoring the feeling of chalk dust smudging on his face, “The machine has run perfectly for months, why would it break now?”

“Machines break all the time,” Inker snorted and pulled a small piece of fruit from one of the three fanny-packs that she wore like a belt around her small body.

Inker’s fur was midnight black, and her eyes were a solid brown. Humans often compared her to a bat, and Gaster thought the description apt. With her large ears and narrow face, she certainly reminded him of the strange Surface creature.

“Not this one,” Gaster argued back, “So lets treat the data as accurate; what would that mean?”

Inker glared up at Gaster, but it was a moment of amusement for the skeleton when he realized she was looking about half of a foot to the right of where he was actually standing. Her ears flicked toward the back of the room for a moment before she finally answered.

“Alright, fine,” Inker growled, “If these reading are accurate, than that means we’ve found a place in the space-time continuum that follows _none_ of the rules of physics, or of reality for that matter. In fact, it would be a space of infinite matter and zero matter at the same time.”

“A void,” Gaster covered his mouth with his hand, pondering over the chalkboard, “A space of infinity.”

Inker shook her head, “No, a space _outside_ of infinity; we could theoretically quantify infinity. This is...too much and not enough, all at once.”

Her ears flicked back again, but Gaster barely noticed as she glanced back toward whatever she was hearing with those large ears of hers as he reached forward with the chalk and began writing numbers and equations. He muttered to himself and absently rubbed his fingers together to feel the chalk dust as he wrote the equations.

“Damnit, Gaster, did you leave your phone on vibrate again?” Inker turned and seemed to zero in on the bag he had left on a desk near the other end of the room, forgotten since this morning, “That noise makes my teeth itch!”

Gaster blinked and glanced back. You could be the only one who would be buzzing him during his work day--everyone else knew better than to expect a reply.

“I wonder what she could want,” Gaster mumbled and started to walk that direction.

“Well whoever she is, she’s been buzzing you for over 45 minutes,” Inker grumbled and resumed Gaster’s calculations.

Over 45 minutes? Gaster puzzled and wondered just why you’d need him so badly on in the middle of a Friday-

It struck him before he even picked up his phone.

“ _Fuck_ ,” Gaster quickly pulled the phone out and started to scroll through the messages:

__**From: Nanny  
*11:43am***  
-We’re here and we’re waiting :) 

__***11:55am***  
-Running late?  
-I reminded you about this lunch  
only this morning! Where are  
you? :/ 

__***12:00pm***  
-Tillby has already brought the  
boys their usual. I’m going to   
have them eat.  
-Do you plan on coming at all? 

__***12:15pm***  
-I’m not making the boys wait  
very long after they’re done  
eating. Can you at least  
answer? 

__***12:27pm***  
-We’re heading for the aquarium  
in a few minutes; hope you have  
a good rest of your day? 

Gaster sank into the chair next to the desk and glanced at the time--already nearly past 12:40--and rubbed his face again. He cursed quietly when he felt the chalk dust get in his eyes and he had to leave the room to head for the bathroom.

Whether or not you were upset with him--and he really couldn’t tell from your texts--Gaster knew that Sans was likely having a hard time. The boy had been practically unresponsive these past two weeks, and Gaster would have been happy to believe it was just the new experience of school that left the boy tired and still processing the change. You, however, had been sure to point out the extra hours that he had been spending at work.

_”It’s not my job to police you, Gaster,” You had said with an unsure look on your face, “But you did hire me to care about your children’s wellbeing and an absentee father isn’t a great thing to deal with as a child.”_

Gaster had been quick to assure you he was simply following a breakthrough, that this wasn’t his normal schedule, but it had felt like a lie even when he had said it. Before the boys, Gaster practically lived in his lab, only stopping for sleep or food when others forced it on him or when his body refused to go forward without them.

Now…

Now others were vying for his time and he found himself bringing work home just so he could feel like he was keeping up with his old workload. Except he was barely managing to find the energy at night to do more than just stare at those papers in his bedroom.

“Gaster, these equations aren’t going to write themselves, you great lump!” Inker grumped from across the room as he re-entered.

“I’m coming, Inker,” Gaster sighed and forced himself to join her; he might as well get _some_ work done today, if the guilt would leave him alone long enough for it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, if any of you have read "Hell is a Place on the Surface", then you guys remember Inker :D
> 
> My little OC is too adorably mother-hen ish and angry grandma, but I can't even think about leaving her out :D
> 
> Comments are always appreciated, and please follow my tumblr: [PurpleFictionMom.tumblr.com](http://purplefictionmom.tumblr.com/) My asks and messages are always open!


	10. Chapter 10

At least the aquarium provided some sense of distraction for the boys, though every time the three of you switched between tanks, you caught Sans staring at the ground. You thought he was walking a touch slower than usual as well, but you didn’t ask; not yet.

Seeing the jellyfish brightened Sans a little, since they were in a tank with black lights that made them glow brightly in the dark tank.

“wow, they look like ghost monsters,” Sans leaned against the glass with his hands, “except no eyes or mouths.”

“Do you know what jellyfish eat?” You asked as you knelt behind Sans and made sure Papyrus could see into tank as well.

“i dunno,” Sans hesitated before he read the sign next to the tank, “oh, uh…’jellyfish eat ph...phito, no um...phyto…”

“Phytoplankton,” You helped him with a smile.

“uh, right,” Sans nodded, “phytoplankton, c...copepods? and fish larvae which are called...fries?”

You nodded, “Good job, Sans!”

“heh, that was a _whale_ -full,” Sans shoved his hands into his pockets as he turned to face you and all hope you had of cheering Sans up were up in smoke when you saw his eye lights disappear.

You pressed your lips together and tried to fight the frown on your face before you reached out and pulled Sans into a tight hug. Even with you kneeling, his feet left the ground and he gripped your shirt tightly.

“heh, you okay, nanny zelda?” Sans asked, but his voice had little power in it.

“I’m sorry, Sans,” You said quietly, “I’m so sorry your dad forgot; I know it’s not fun and I know it hurts.”

Sans’s breath choked in your ear and he didn’t move as you spoke. The dark room wasn’t empty, but it was hard to see the three of you in the corner you were in, but you were more worried about Sans. The child barely moved until you pulled back a little and realized that bright glowing blue tears were in the corner of his eyes.

“why...why doesn’t dad like hanging out with us anymore?” Sans’s eternal grin was now a frown and you felt your stomach fall through the floor.

“Oh, babybones, that isn’t it,” You gently brushed one of your fingers under his eye to rid him of the tear--you had never felt such a strange feeling on your skin before, but you were too focused on your next words to give it more than a moment of your attention, “Your dad is just adjusting; we all are. Adults sometimes forget that they aren’t islands--that what they do affects those around them.”

Sans hiccuped quietly before he wrapped his arms around your neck and buried his head into your shoulder. He shook, but when he cried it was silently. You turned and sat against the glass of the tank, gently rocked him back and forth.

“It’ll be okay, Sansy,” You breathed, “Don’t worry, you can cry and I’ll keep you safe until you’re ready to be done.”

“SAHS! SAHS BOOHOO,” Papyrus looked ready to cry as well and you reached up with one hand to hold one of his.

“It’s okay, bittybones,” You cooed, “Sometimes tears just need to come out; it’s okay.”

It was a few minutes before Sans was ready to wipe his tears away--all the while, you had to shoo both the curious and the annoyed away, but you were grateful none of them were vocal or stepped in. It probably wasn’t the best place for this sort of thing, but you just knew that by the time the three of you made it home, Sans would have internalized the whole thing and pretended he was never hurt by today.

You offered him a baby wipe to clean his face, and after, he looked better. There was still a sting of sadness, but he was making puns and talking with Papyrus more freely now.

A part of you wondered if you would have any control of your own emotions when Gaster came home that night.

Dinner time was coming closer when you decided to take the boys home. The Aquarium was starting to get more crowded anyway and Papyrus was ready for a short nap as you folded the stroller and boarded the bus.

You hooked the strap of the diaper bag around your ankle and let the stroller lean against the empty seat next to you. Papyrus cuddled against your chest and Sans was soon leaning against your side as the long bus ride home drew itself out and the sun began to set. Both boys were asleep before the bus took its first turn.

“They’re precious,” An older woman who sat across from you hummed quietly, barely audible over the sounds of the bus.

“Oh, yeah, they are,” You offered her a smile, “They’re good kids.”

“Are they yours?” She tilted her head curiously.

“Nope, I’m just the Nanny,” You laughed, “But I’d keep them if I could.”

“That’s so lovely, dearie,” Her eyes twinkled and you suddenly noticed the deep blue of them--you had never seen anyone with just a vibrant shade before; a part of you wondered if she was wearing contacts, and you decided she must be. Her curly hair was dyed a faded purple as well, “You don’t let anything happen to them, you hear? To them or their father.”

It was such an odd thing to say that you opened your mouth to ask her what she meant, but the bus suddenly came to a screeching halt and you had to hold both boys tightly, or risk them to the sudden stop. You winced when the stroller crashed to the floor, but you tried to lean forward to see just why the bus driver suddenly stopped.

You didn’t see why and a few of the other passengers murmured about it while the older woman suddenly rose.

“This is my stop, dearie; take care!” She bubbled and didn’t bother to even use the cane she carried as she headed for the exit. You half expected the bus driver to scold her for trying to get off without being at a designated spot, but the woman simply thanked him and exited the bus.

“who was that?” Sans yawned and leaned over the edge of the seat so he could pick up the stroller.

“Thank you, Sans,” You shook yourself, and hoped you would have a decent answer when he finally settled the stroller against the seat again, but you didn’t, “I...really don’t know.”

“hmm,” Sans yawned and leaned against your side again.

~*~

Dinner was its own adventure; Gaster still wasn’t home and Sans nearly refused to eat. It was only the promise of Tillby’s for lunch the next day that finally tempted him into eating a few bites, but Papyrus was impossible. He wouldn’t eat baby food or even try anything that you had made for dinner. It wasn’t until you tempted him with a bottle of milk that he would finally eat the dinosaur oatmeal that he normally ate for breakfast.

You sighed and rubbed your face. Both boys were finally asleep, but you couldn’t tell if they would stay that way. Today had been a mess and it had all started with Gaster going MIA for lunch. Normally, it wasn’t a conversation you thought was your place to have with the parents of the children you watched, but the way Sans had been at the aquarium…

Plus, parents were usually self-managing and, well… _adults_. You could barely handle all that ‘professionalism’ that dealing with parents usually entailed, which is why you always preferred live-in nanny positions. Normally, you could befriend the parents easily and then it was just a casual conversation about what the kids needed and opening a door of communication and then BOOM, resolution.

Except, Sans and Gaster were definitely cut from the same cloth. Neither liked to be open or said what they meant. It was easier for them to just bottle it up and leave it there, buried somewhere at the bottom of their souls.

Gaster was one matter, but you couldn’t even begin to explain how harmful that sort of behaviour was for a child and for Sans to have learned it so early from his father…

It was one of the few nights you wished you had taken a liking to alcohol. Maybe it would have been easier to deal with all this with a buzz. Then again, the taste and repercussions really weren’t worth it, so maybe you would just take the stress.

You didn’t hear Gaster come home, but that wasn’t surprising. He often teleported straight to his office. You were lucky that he was a creature of habit though. It was the reason you were waiting in the kitchen as he walked in to look for food, even though it was now--you glanced at the clock and blanched at the fact that it was past 10pm.

“Gaster,” You greeted, though you could hear how tight your voice was.

“Ms. Emmerson,” Gaster greeted automatically and you didn’t bother to correct him this time.

The fact that you remained silent after his greeting confirmed that he knew he was likely to get an earful; he wondered if he had the patience, but decided getting it over with now.

“I’m sorry I didn’t show up,” He said it like a child about to be scolded and a part of you wondered if you should just follow through with that option. Instead you took a deep breath and crossed your arms.

“Gaster, I’m not here to manage your relationship with your children,” You shrugged your shoulders, “You hired me to watch your children and care for their needs and I will.”

Gaster raised an eyebrow, unsure of this roundabout way that you were choosing to approach this, but he listened as you continued.

“I’m giving you a fair warning, though,” You stood and rubbed your arms and he was suddenly very aware of how small and vulnerable you looked, “If Sans ever asks me ‘why doesn’t dad like hanging out with us anymore?’ ever again, I’m going to have to give him an honest answer and that answer is ‘I don’t know’.”

Gaster tensed at that and leaned on the island as he watched you over the top of the breakfast bar. Your chest barely cleared it and the way you looked away, so uncomfortable, made you seem so childish to him.

“I had every intention of being there,” Even his tone was tense, “It was a mistake.”

“Parents have every intention to do right by their children,” You met his gaze and he felt himself draw in a breath; you looked ready to cry, “But what children _know_ is what is actually done, and what is forgotten. Sans is going to remember today, and I don’t have to live with those consequences. The two of you do.”

Gaster had to look away. The guilt had already gnawed at him all afternoon--enough so that he had practically hidden in his lab until he was sure the boys would be in bed before he finally came home, like some sort of coward. He couldn’t deny your words, any more than he could turn back the clock and change what happened this morning.

“Well, that’s all I have to say on it,” You shrugged your shoulders and looked away, “I’m just the Nanny, after all--I’m trying to look out for the best for Sans, but I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t worried about you, too.”

Gaster nearly jumped and looked at you again, “Me?”

You snorted, “Sans is reclusive and has few communication skills--he buries things because he knows it’s easier than talking about them. Just where do you think he got that?”

Silence was your only answer, so you continued, “It isn’t healthy for Sans to do it, but it's not healthy for you, either.”

“Hmm,” Gaster grunted before he turned away from you and you took the glaring hint--he didn’t want to talk about it and more than that, he certainly didn’t want to talk to _you_ about it. You really weren’t keen on examining why that stung.

“...Goodnight, Gaster,” You finally sighed and turned to leave the kitchen.

“Goodnight, Ms. Emmerson,” He chimed in return.

You didn’t correct him for the second time that night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, if you squint really hard, you might catch glimpse of a character from "Journey to Heaven's Gate" in here (much love to whoever figures out who haha)
> 
> Comments are always appreciated, and please follow my tumblr: [PurpleFictionMom.tumblr.com](http://purplefictionmom.tumblr.com/) My asks and messages are always open!


	11. Chapter 11

The house was a little more somber after that. Sans and Gaster, true to form, didn’t talk about what happened on Friday--at least to any of your knowledge, but you had an educated guess from how they both kept acting. Papyrus seemed to be the only one not affected by the dark cloud that was trying to hover over the house.

You weren’t entirely sure it was because he was simply an oblivious infant, either. In fact, he almost seemed more in tune with how Gaster and Sans were feeling than even they themselves knew. He was a ball of sunshine almost in spite of the darkness that was trying to claim his brother and father.

“Oh, bittybones,” You hummed Sunday afternoon as you held Papyrus on your hip, “If you have any clues or tricks to help those two, I hope you pull it out soon.”

Not that you were really expecting an 11 month old to solve these sorts of problems; Sans and Gaster needed to actually _talk_ \--to each other in the very least--in order for there to be any sort of real resolution, but it made you feel better to say, just the same. Papyrus must have understood you though, because it was the next Tuesday that Papyrus did something that shocked the rest of you.

Breakfast was a quiet ordeal and Gaster was just checking the clock and preparing to leave when Papyrus suddenly blustered.

“DADA! WORK DADA!” Papyrus slammed his cup onto his tray and giggled loudly, “SAHNS! SCOO SAHNS!”

You turned in your place from doing dishes to stare at the infant while Sans and Gaster both froze and stared at him. Papyrus, seeming oblivious to everyone’s shock, simply carried on.

“DADA WORK, SAHNS SCOO, PAPY PERK!!” Then he was gone in a fit of giggles.

“...Do you want to go to the park today, Papyrus?” You found yourself asking, while the other two were still shocked into silence.

“YAH PERK PERK PERK,” He bounced in his seat and you had to quickly catch his sippy cup again.

Sans was the first to react after that, “paps, you’re talkin!”

Gaster finally broke himself from his shock and picked up Papyrus, “Papyrus! Such good words, you’ve done so well!”

You giggled quietly as the three skeletons celebrated together as if they had won some unimaginable prize, but you smiled regardless. To them, they felt like they had. You felt it, too, but you wondered if it would have been as special if Papyrus would have said all of that without his brother or father around.

Your eyes landed on Gaster and his wide smile made yours grow just a little more. The stress he had been buried under just seemed to melt away as Papyrus continued to practically sing the words he had surprised all of you with. Your face began to get warm and you turned away again to finish the dishes. Let them celebrate, the three of them deserved to be happy.

Of course, Gaster had to rush to work after and you needed to get Sans to school, but that night, after dinner you were happy to hear Sans and Gaster quietly talking in the sitting room while you started to prepare Papyrus for bed.

Whether or not they fixed the problem really wasn’t your business unless they decided to share it, but just to hear them talking made your own stress start to melt.

“What do you know, bittybones,” You hummed and kissed Papyrus’s temple while he yawned, “Looks like you are just plain _magical_.”

Papyrus fussed quietly, but you couldn’t stop the quiet giggles as you climbed the stairs.

~*~

“hey, dad’s job is on the tv.”

You blinked and stepped toward the archway that lead from the dining room into the living room, “His job?”

Sans pointed to the tv, which had somehow turned from the cartoons you had it on and was now on a news station. A glance toward Papyrus showed that the baby had sat on the remote and was likely to blame, but as you reached for it, the newscaster started speaking again.

“Demonstrators gathered again today, stating that they would appear every day until the laboratory was closed down.”

Suddenly, it cut to a reporter in the field, who was interviewing protestors.

“Your group has been protesting ever since King Asgore and Queen Toriel have left for their political tour around the world; why have you chosen now to make your intentions known?”

“We didn’t plan on that,” The man who the reporter was interviewing smirked in a way that made you feel like he was lying, “We’ll be here after they come back, if this place stays open until then.”

“Just what are your protests?”

“We want this place closed! If monsters want to aid in research and sh **bleep** then they need to work with humans to do it.”

“And the fact that over half of the staff of this facility are human doesn’t sway your demands?”

 

“The head guy is a monster!” The man spat, “Some rotten, disgusting skeleton monster named Gas-”

You turned the TV off and clenched your teeth together until your jaw hurt. That group had been making trouble since the monsters first appeared from under Mt. Ebbot. They first labeled themselves the ‘Anti-Monster Society’, but when the political climate changed and the monsters were granted an embassy, with citizenship and rights, they had rebranded themselves.

Now, they went by the ‘Homeland Defense Against Intrusions’ and were a hotbed for fascists and ‘human supremacists’. They were disgusting and you felt your stomach twist at the idea that Gaster and his employees would have to deal with them.

Well, Gaster less so, since he likely never left the building except by teleportation.

“is dad in trouble?” Sans looked up at you and you hated how scared he looked.

“Of course not,” You shook your head, “Those are just bad people, trying to make life hard for others.”

“why?” Sans stood and followed you into the kitchen as you put Papyrus into his high chair.

“Why are people like that?” You glanced at Sans and saw him nod. Boy, what a question, “Well...there are people out there who, when they were your age, they didn’t have good people around them. The people around them taught them that hating others was a good thing and that somehow, people different from them were a threat.”

Sans looked at the table as he sat down. You served up dinner and made a plate for Gaster, though you had a feeling he would be working late again--if not because of his workload, then because of what was happening with the protesters.

“what are we supposed to do?” Sans asked and barely picked at his food, “if they’re being mean and acting bad, shouldn’t they get into trouble?”

You sighed and let Papyrus try a little bit of the food you made so he could get used to solids, but you were mostly just stalling.

“I...I don’t know, Sans,” You pushed the food around the plate, “If they try to get violent, or if they break the law, then of course they will get in trouble, but until they do…”

 

“but _why_? why do we have to wait until they hurt someone?” Sans gripped the table tightly and you felt your stomach drop.

“You’re scared for your dad, huh?” You reached over and gently touched his hand; he was trembling.

“dad, and inker, and all the other monsters who work there too,” Sans looked at the floor, “...humans are scary.”

It was hard to swallow the lump in your throat, but when you saw Sans’s eyes flash up to meet yours, suddenly afraid again, you quickly reassured him.

“You didn’t say anything wrong, babybones,” You soothed, “What you said isn’t wrong; even other humans agree with you.”

Sans looked down again, “but...i didn’t mean you, nanny, just...other humans.”

“Well, I’m sure someone finds me scary,” You offered Sans a small smile, “It’s not wrong to be afraid, or to have feelings, Sans. It’s just a part of growing up.”

Dinner was a mostly silent affair, though Papyrus kept it lively with his quickly growing vocabulary. Sans and you took turns trying to teach him words and it was easy to forget the news for a little while.

“say ‘thermonuclear detonation’,” Sans chuckled and you snorted.

“TERMYCLEE TETATATON!” Papyrus shrieked happily and you giggled over his slurred words.

“Oh, I’m going to miss your cute little voice when you start to speak clearly,” You cooed and fed him another bite of food. As Papyrus ate, you counted his teeth again; they were separating faster now that they had started. 8 separate teeth, and you realized the shape of his skull and jaw would really only allow for the last two sections to split. He was almost fully grown into his teeth.

“Hmm, maybe I should be feeding you more solids, hmm?” You questioned with a smile, “We’ll see what your dad thinks.”

“is dad going to be late because of those people?” Sans suddenly asked and you saw he was glancing toward the tv, obviously wary.

“I don’t think so,” You answered, “Your father teleports, remember? I’m sure he’s just-”

Just then, you heard the door to Gaster’s study open, “Well, speak of the devil and he shall appear.”

Sans raised a brow bone at you, but turned in his seat when Gaster came in through the door, “heya, dad.”

“Hello, Sans,” Gaster looked more tired than usual, but he still hugged and greeted each of his children in turn, and smiled when Papyrus shrieked in happiness at receiving his attention, “I apologize for being late, there are a few issues at work-”

“was it those de...demon-staters?” Sans stumbled over the new word and you found it cute, despite how he learned it.

Gaster froze and looked down at his son, “What?”

“We had a little accident with the tv remote and we all caught a glimpse of the news,” You explained and gave Papyrus another bite.

Gaster stayed quiet for a moment and looked between you and Sans; Sans looked ready to cry, but your back was straight and you didn’t turn to look at him. He could see you both were obviously upset, but he wondered if he could ever have the energy to fully explain it.

For now, he gratefully grabbed his own plate of food and sat across from you, next to Sans, “The ‘demonstrators’ were only a small part of why I was late, Sans,” Gaster reassured the boy.

“then what was it?” Sans tilted his head curiously.

“I took a few colleagues home,” Gaster explained.

You glanced over at them, but you could guess between his words: those colleagues were likely vulnerable and scared of the protesters and you didn’t blame them. Gaster must have teleported them home.

“that was nice,” Sans seemed so much more at ease now that Gaster was home and you felt it too.

“Homework time after dinner, Sans,” You quipped to change the subject, “Do you want seconds?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Papyrus is my little charmer, let me tell you. I've fallen in love with the little baby and Gaster can't have him back haha
> 
> Comments are always appreciated, and please follow my tumblr: [PurpleFictionMom.tumblr.com](http://purplefictionmom.tumblr.com/) My asks and messages are always open!


	12. Chapter 12

You began to take note of your surroundings when you went out with one or both of the boys. You used to keep an eye on just certain creeps: men who sat too close, or cars that followed a little too slowly. It was never anything horrible, but now with those protesters…

More than anything, you were worried the boys might get dragged into something dangerous.

There was a slight reprieve from that stress with the introduction of a new stress: Sans had started being able to teleport, and had scared his teacher, Ms. Verona, something terrible when he teleported from his seat in class to head to lunch. You couldn’t deny that it was certainly something to get used to--and you laughed nervously when you explained to the woman that Gaster could do it too, if only because you remember the first time Gaster simply vanished in front of your eyes--but now, Gaster had taken to giving Sans lessons in how to teleport safely and to control it.

You sat with Papyrus on a blanket in the backyard, handing the baby blocks as he stacked them and created unusual shapes (all the while, called them ‘PUZZAH’, though you weren’t sure what this word meant yet).

“Again, Sans,” Gaster’s voice was detached, but mostly from repetition.

You glanced over at the pair of skeletons that were training in the middle of the backyard. A part of you shook your head in amusement. Most fathers would be teaching their children to ride bikes or something around this age, but here Sans was: learning teleportation of all things. You had to admit to yourself that Gaster looked good in something more casual though.

Normally, he wore black slacks, a white or cream colored turtleneck sweater and either his lab coat or a black over jacket. Today, he opted for a long sleeve shirt that was folded to his elbows (revealing his radial and ulnar bones, which you caught yourself staring at more often than not if you weren’t paying attention to yourself) and dark wash jeans that hugged his hips in a very appealing manner.

You tried to pull your eyes away quickly, but then Sans quickly burst out in frustration, drawing your gaze again.

“i can’t do it, dad,” Sans fell back onto his bottom and put his head in his hands and rested his elbows on his knees, “it’s too hard.”

You honestly expected Gaster to keep pushing; he had always struck you as a meticulous and hard worker, and very often didn’t understand it when you tried to explain ‘within reason’ to him. He just saw things as needing to be done, so why not do them his way? It honestly explained _a lot_ from your interview.

Instead, Gaster surprised you.

He stood still for a moment, obviously lost in thought. Then, he moved and sat around Sans, almost protectively and you were struck again by how tiny Sans was--at least for a monster child. While he seemed perfectly sized for the average 6 year old human (if a little thin), for a monster, he was so small. All the children in his class, even Alphys who’s form was naturally hunched over, were taller than Sans, by at least a few inches. And yes, they were years older, but even Sans’s age group on the playground seemed to dwarf the small skeleton.

Now, sitting between Gaster’s legs, he looked comically small; enough so, that your chest felt a pang of protectiveness over him.

“Sans,” Gaster sighed and gently rested his hand on top of Sans’s head, “Do you think it’s easy for me to work all day and then come home to raise you and Papyrus?”

You had to force yourself not to open your mouth and let Gaster get to his point--at the moment, he was dangerously close to something you didn’t like to hear from parents, even for a moment. Too often, you had heard parents belittling or guilting their child for the work the parent had to put in to raise them and you hated hearing it.

You pretended not to listen, but you were already feeling that protective urge coming on strong.

It took Sans a moment to answer, but he finally said, “well, you hired nanny zelda, so i guess not?”

The question he left in the air was picked up by Gaster immediately, “That’s right; I needed help because I wanted to do right by you and by Papyrus. Raising children is not easy. The work I do is not easy. But this is important, Sans and always remember that.”

You glanced over and saw Sans turn his head to look up at his father, obviously hanging on to every word; you’d be lying if you said you weren’t, as well.

“Anything worth doing, is worth putting the work in,” Gaster said, “And there’s no way around it. If it isn’t worth it to you, then you won’t work for it.”

“but why can’t it be easy?” Sans grumbled.

“It’s simply the nature of things, Sans,” Gaster said and pulled the boy into a gentle hug, “Sometimes, the easy way may seem the best way--and I won’t say it’s always the wrong choice to make; but you must know when it is time to roll up your sleeves and do the work. You must remember that the hard road will often be the right one.”

“NANZEE!” Papyrus suddenly exclaimed and made you jump, “NANZEE BLOCKAH!”

You snorted and handed Papyrus another block, “You know, I think I’m onto your game, bittybones; I bet it’ll just take one more sour day in this house and you’ll be walking.”

A snort drew your attention back to Gaster and Sans, both of whom were watching the two of you play.

“paps is just cool like that,” Sans shoved his hands into his pockets and leaned into his father’s arms while Gaster seemed to seriously contemplate what you had said.

Before he could voice what he was thinking, Sans wiggled out of his grip and stood at the ready again.

“ok, dad; i’m ready to try again.”

“That’s my boy, Sans,” Gaster smiled and you felt your heart begin to pound against the inside of your ribs again. Oh, oh you had it bad, didn’t you?

You tried not to focus on that thought as you watched Papyrus knock his block tower over and start over.

~*~

“Hmm,” Gaster normally was a silent partner when it came to the time you spent after the boys went to bed. Normally, you took a little time for yourself, or you made plans; all of this was usually done in the living room.

Gaster was the type who seemed to need a change in setting while working from home. Often, he would pace silently while reading, or find different places to perch--couches, chairs, his office, his bedroom, and even sitting on the stairs on the odd occasion.

Tonight, you were folding laundry--and as per your usual habit when living with a family, you had taken over the children’s laundry. So you folded it and sorted it while you watched bad nighttime TV: usually a late soap or something you could giggle at for it's ridiculous content or premise.

With this new interruption, you muted the TV and glanced at him, “Need something, Gaster?”

“I simply made an observation while watching you,” Gaster admitted without fret or concern over how his statement might be taken. He was a scientist and you had quickly learned that everything was an observation and he loved to take in data without really noticing how surly he could come off while silently watching the things and people around him.

“Oh? Do tell,” You said, a small smile curling on your lips.

“For someone who goes out of their way to tell me how much I overwork myself,” Gaster’s lips twitched up in a smirk when you turned to raise an eyebrow at him--going ‘out of the way’ indeed, “You certainly do more than I thought to expect.”

You snorted, “What does that mean? What exactly did you expect?”

“I expected what anyone would expect in terms of a job: strict hours, talk of vacation or days off, benefits, coverage,” He listed these off quickly, obviously heading for a point, “And yet you have adhered to none of the expectation you laid out or that I had for this position.”

You gave it a few moments as you mulled over what he said, your hands still folding. You had moved on to matching socks, most of which belonged to Sans.

“Well, I keep to it as much as I always have, I guess,” You shrugged, “Being a live-in Nanny isn’t a usual job, anyway.”

“Is that why you find yourself doing laundry after your designated hours?” He chuckled and sat back in his chair, amusement dancing on his face.

You huffed playfully and tried to hide a smile, “ _You_ find time to do laundry while balancing both of those boys’ needs, Wing Dings Gaster. Don’t think I haven’t noticed how you have certainly let _yours_ pile up, now that you don’t have to worry about keeping the boys’ clothes clean.”

Gaster shrugged nonchalantly, a twinkling light of laughter in his eyes, “Well, I’m sure if I left it long enough, you would-”

He was cut off by a balled up pair of socks bouncing off of his forehead and landing on the back of his chair.

“Oh no, you hired a nanny for your _children_ ,” You snorted and started to laugh as you spoke--who could help it with the sudden look of surprise on Gaster’s face? “If you wanted a nanny for yourself, go get a girlfriend.”

He began to laugh with you and for a moment, the two of you giggled like children. It passed quickly enough, but you just shook your head and stood.

“I can’t believe the _great Dr. Gaster_ is trying to pawn off his laundry,” You moved closer to him and leaned over to grab the pair of socks that was at his shoulder. He reached across his chest for it at the same time and you froze when your fingers touched.

His eyes found yours and the two of you froze for a moment. Despite working close with him in terms of his children, it wasn’t often that the two of you were so close while alone. Your heart hammered in your chest and despite the sudden tension you could completely leave your smile behind. You felt your cheeks color, but you couldn’t pull yourself away--you couldn’t even _look_ away.

Slowly, purposefully, Gaster’s eyes looked between yours. You caught the way his eyes dipped down to look at your lips, but wasn’t that just his usual ‘observation’? Had he ever seen a human this close? You tried to shake yourself--he was a grown adult, on the surface since monsters emerged from below Mt. Ebbot. Still, there was just a stillness between you. If you just leaned a little closer-

“Thanks,” You finally said, your fingers moving under his to grab the socks.

Your voice seemed to finally pull him back to reality and his hand dropped back into his lap, “...Of course.”

It wasn’t until you were tucked beneath your covers that you finally let yourself wonder. _Would_ you have kissed him, given a few more seconds? This sort of issue had never come up before. You always became easy friends with the parents of the children you watched, but you’d never felt your heart pound the way you did now. You never wanted to kiss someone as much as you had wanted to kiss Gaster tonight. You squealed and pulled your blankets over your head, intent on forcing yourself to forget the feeling and to go to sleep.

That night, you dreamed of soft lips pressed against a hard mouth and of long slender fingers against your skin.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Would it surprise any of you that I usually don't focus on romance in my fics? Cause I feel like I never focus hard enough on building tension and I have issues with timing haha
> 
> Oh well, I hope you guys like my butchered attempts as we go along~
> 
> Comments are always appreciated, and please follow my tumblr: [PurpleFictionMom.tumblr.com](http://purplefictionmom.tumblr.com/) My asks and messages are always open!


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, guess what? I rewrote the last chapter from Gaster's POV! [Side-Tales of the Skele-Nanny](https://archiveofourown.org/works/16169789/chapters/37782239) is up! I won't write other POV's for every chapter, but probably for a few if you guys request them :)

Waking up in the middle of the night was never the norm for you, unless you heard children crying. It was the only sound guaranteed to make you sit bolt upright in a moment. So, why were you awake now, in the middle of the night? You grumbled and rolled over. Nope, it wasn’t the position you were in. You kicked off the blanket. Nope; you weren’t too hot, and even with the blanket off, you weren’t too cold.

So why were you suddenly awake?

 

You slowly opened your eyes and yawned. Nothing seemed out of place, though you only had the light from your half-opened laptop to use. Still, just what-

“Oh geez!” You jumped and gripped your chest where your heart would have been.

There, standing next to your bed by the foot, a small skeleton child stood, with glowing blue tears hanging in the corners of his eyes.

“Sans,” You rubbed your face, “Are you alright? Man, babybones, you scared-”

You saw a few tears leak down his face and you sat up, “Hey, hey, shh...I’m not mad; what’s wrong?”

Sans hiccuped and slowly crawled into bed with you, his teddy bear dragged behind him. The child curled in next to you and you pulled the blankets up over yourself and him. You gently reached up and wiped his tears, the pure magic of them felt like a thousand painless needles.

“i...i had a nightmare,” Sans hiccuped again and hid his face into his teddy bear’s fur.

“Oh no,” You breathed and brushed your fingers over his skull, “Do you want to talk about it?”

“n-no,” Sans hid his face again and trembled when his tears started again.

“Shh, shh, it’s alright, babybones, I’ve got you,” You murmured and clumsily reached up to turn your laptop from where it sat on the desk next to your bed, “Hold on, I’ve got just the thing…”

A soothing song started playing on your Spotify, and you double clicked so that this one song would stay on repeat. It’s lilting tones quivered through the air, and sounded fragile even as a piano began to echo the notes.

“There you go, there you go,” You hummed quietly and settled in next to the small child with a yawn.

Even with the music and a familiar person, Sans didn’t seem able to chase away his nightmares. The child seemed keen to check every shadow, maybe expecting that the next time they checked, _something_ would be there.

“Sans, are your nightmares about a monster?” You asked quietly.

“no, not a monster,” He answered quietly.

“A human?”

“y...yeah.”

You nodded slowly, “Has anyone at school been talking about those protestors?”

“n...not at school,” Sans muttered and he almost sounded guilty, “i...i heard it here.”

You raised an eyebrow at that, “Who was talking about it here? Your father?”

“he wasn’t talking to _me_ about it; maybe?” Sans sounded unsure and looked away.

“Oooh, I see,” You offered him a smile, “You were teleporting where you shouldn’t be, and overheard some things, huh?”

Sans groaned, “i was just practicing. please don’t tell dad; he’ll get mad.”

You were a little torn about that; Gaster was your boss and you weren’t exactly great at lying to begin with. When Sans moved to look up at you when you hesitated, your heart melted.

“Alright, Sans,” You answered quietly, “I won’t tell Gaster about your nightmare.”

The music filled the silence after, but it wasn’t long before you had started to doze that Sans wiggled in his place.

“Hmm? Whazzit Sans?” You mumbled and yawned again.

“can you tell me a story? a...a not-scary story?”

A story, hmm? You yawned again and said, “One condition: you have to keep your eyes closed while I tell it, deal?”

The child nodded quickly and you opened one eye to watch him close his eyes tightly. You smiled and hummed to give yourself a moment to think of something.

“Hmmm, how about...the Adventures of the Great Papyrus?” You smiled.

“but he’s just a baby!” Sans giggled and peaked one eye open. You saw the cute gap in his front teeth and selfishly prayed that he would never grow out of it.

“But Pappy won’t _always_ be a baby, Sans,” You chided playfully, “And no peaking.”

Sans’s eye closed quickly as he contemplated what you said, “yeah, paps will be an adult soon, huh?”

“Well, not soon,” You hummed and closed your eyes, “He’s not even walking yet.”

“will paps be a cool adult?” Sans shifted a little to move closer to your body heat.

“What do you think?” You asked.

“of course; he’s already the coolest baby ever,” If Sans’s eyes had been open, you know they would be shaped like stars--they always were when he talked about his baby brother.

“Then, obviously, he’ll be the coolest adult,” You nodded as if it were logical fact, “Now, want to hear a story about the Great Adult Papyrus?”

“yes!” Sans chimed with a quiet giggle.

“Alright,” You closed your eyes again and wrapped Sans in your arms and the blanket, feeling his slight weight settle onto your skin, “One day, The Very Cool and Great Papyrus decided he wanted to cook his _favorite_ dish-”

“dinosaur oatmeal,” Sans quipped and giggled when you snorted.

“Well...he made his favorite dish that he loved to _cook_ , which is obviously spaghetti,” You chimed in and giggled with Sans giggled again.

“paps has never had spaghetti before,” Sans accused.

“Well this is the Great Adult Papyrus, remember?”

“oh yeah.”

“Now let me tell the story, babybones,” You kissed his forehead and yawned again, “Now, the Great Papyrus decided to cook spaghetti, because he wanted to make enough food to feed all of his friends, because he was very popular.”

“yeah, paps is the coolest,” Sans sighed, but you didn’t scold him for the interruption as he settled deeper into the blanket.

“So, he decided he had to go to the store,” You were already having a foggy notion that the story was boring, but Sans didn’t complain or raise a fuss, “Only, when he got there, there was no spaghetti sauce. Do you think that stopped the Awesome and Cool Papyrus?”

“heh, nope,” Sans muttered and you knew he was on his way out.

“That’s right, it didn’t stop him a lick,” You said quietly, “So, he bought all the stuff he needed to make sauce himself--and when he brought it all home…”

It was only a few minutes later when you heard Sans’s breathing even out and you gently put a kiss on his forehead again.

“Goodnight, babybones; only good dreams tonight,” You breathed and let yourself start to doze.

You thought you might have imagined it, but a tiny voice from Sans answered, “thank you, zeezee.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Poor Sansy seems to be plagued by nightmares no matter the timeline, huh? Poor baby T.T
> 
> Comments are always appreciated, and please follow my tumblr: [PurpleFictionMom.tumblr.com](http://purplefictionmom.tumblr.com/) My asks and messages are always open!


	14. Chapter 14

Coffee was the order of the day.

“COFFWEE! BABAH,” Papyrus cooed in his high chair.

“Nope, no coffee for you, bittybones,” You yawned, “But I’m thinking...apple juice?”

“YAH!”

“That’s a yes,” You giggled and pulled a sippy cup from the cupboard before filling the cup half with juice and half water.

Papyrus banged the sippy cup on his tray and you appreciated the rhythm as you started the coffee maker, “Great banger, bittybones; can’t wait til you can decide if you actually want to learn the drums or not.”

“WAGAH!” Papyrus said before he started to chew on the rubber of the cup before he started to settle with his juice. He was learning words quickly, but his baby talk was still as strong as ever.

“Yeah, you’re definitely more a lead singer, I agree,” You nodded sagely before you spoke again without looking up, “Good morning, Gaster.”

Gaster hesitated to sit down at the small breakfast bar at the island, which separated the kitchen from the dining room. He glanced at Papyrus, who blinked quietly at him, “Good morning, Ms. Emmerson.”

“Zelda.”

“Noted. How are you this morning?”

You smiled at his usual dodge at saying your name. He more than insisted to call you by your last name--he simply refused to acknowledge that you had a first name. Still, he was cordial, if not a bit abrupt. You wondered if he still thought about what happened a few nights ago in the living room, but he was a passive book; one you weren’t sure you could ever open--at least, not without a blowtorch or something.

“Coffee-deprived,” You quipped at his question, “But breakfast will be done in a minute.” 

You were already breaking eggs into a pan. Gaster was nothing if not a monster of routine. Normally, you were happy with routines: they created structure for children, helped the mind, kept you organized.

Except on a morning where you had gone to bed late and been woken up halfway through by a child with a nightmare. Still, you were still keeping that much to yourself.

“Where is Sans?” Gaster asked.

Well, if you could just avoid saying anything about _why_ Sans was moving a little slower today.

“He accidentally slept in a few minutes,” You said with your back turned, “He’ll be down soon, I’m sure.”

“Hmm,” Gaster hummed, but reached over and ran his hand over the top of Papyrus’s head smoothly. The baby leaned into the open affection and began banging his sippy cup again.

“Even know of any drummers who also did lead vocals?” Gaster asked and you snickered.

“Plenty, I just didn’t peg you for someone who’d think that was a suitable life for your bittybones,” You glanced back at him with a smirk, “Something about ‘the mind is a greater investment than anything’?”

Gaster waved a hand as if to dismiss you, but answered anyway, “A great mind impedes the arts--and vice versa--in zero ways.”

You snorted, “Well, color me surprised; I’ve been here 3 months and this had got to be the quickest I’ve ever seen you change your mind.”

“Are you calling me stubborn?” Gaster raised a bone brow at you and you shrugged.

“ _I_ didn’t say anything, but now that you mention it-”

“morning dad, morning paps, morning zeezee,” Sans yawned as he turned into the kitchen and deftly jumped up onto the bar stool next to his father. The child leaned his chin down onto the countertop. Huh, maybe you hadn't imagined the new nickname? Sans didn't seem to notice, but Gaster glanced down at the boy, and opened his mouth, ready to ask-

“SAHS!” Papyrus got so excited that his sippy cup when flying. You let out a cry that distracted Gaster and Sans.

You turned in time to see it soar toward the garbage and with a quick movement, you leaned forward and caught it. Sans blinked and started to clap, which made Papyrus follow suit.

“Oh, no you don’t, bittybones! This is your last sippy cup and I do _not_ want to wash it until at least after lunch!” You huffed before you set it back on Papyrus’s tray.

Papyrus cheered, but didn’t throw the cup again. When you returned to cooking the food, Gaster raised an eyebrow at you.

“Why is that the last?”

“I told you last week that he had less than five left and Papyrus is rough on his cups, as you can see,” You said without looking, “You snapped at me, and I quote: ‘Don’t bother me with that sort of _nonsense_ until the number is zero’.”

Sans glanced at Gaster before looking at your back again.

Gaster sputtered, “W-well, I...must have been-”

“Half-asleep at your desk in your office, with papers everywhere,” You confirmed, finally serving two plates of eggs, bacon and toast to Gaster and Sans before you started to make scrambled eggs for Paps to try and eat on his own.

“But you-what would you have done when that one was gone?”

You turned your head and smiled sweetly, “I still have a few B-O-T-T-L-E-S left.”

Spelling the word kept it from Papyrus’s ears; breaking him from bottles had proven difficult--the child was as stubborn as Gaster was, you swore--but the threat was clear. Gaster’s shoulder physically hunched as you spelled the word and a light glare was sent your way.

“No need to resort to threats,” His eyes focused on his breakfast sheepishly.

“There is when the words ‘useless information’ are said under your breath as I walk away,” You were still smiling, which Papyrus saw and giggled.

Sans winced and almost rolled his eyes. He refrained when his father’s eyes refused to meet yours and instead focused on him.

“Hurry, Sans, or you’ll be late for school,” Gaster cleared his throat and returned to his breakfast without comment.

“Hmm, that’s what I thought,” You sat in front of Papyrus and put a few eggs on his tray along with a small baby-proof fork so he could play with it.

~*~

One final heatwave blew through town near the end of September, just before Papyrus’s birthday; it seemed to last all week and by the time Saturday rolled around you were tired of keeping the boys inside because of it.

“Alright, boys!” You announced after breakfast, making Sans, Papyrus and Gaster all stare at you in curious surprise, “I went on a special shopping trip last night and woke up early to have surprise ready for you babybones!”

“SURPAS! SURPAS ZEEZEE!” Papyrus giggled and slapped his hands down on the tray of his high chair.

“Patience, Pap; first, we’re going upstairs!” You cheered and even Sans found himself getting excited at the prospect.

“Does this, by chance, have anything to do with why you were asking me about a skeleton monster’s susceptibility to being sunburned?” Gaster raised an eyebrow down at you as you lifted Papyrus out of the chair.

“Obviously,” You smiled up at him before you followed an excited Sans--who had simply teleported up the stairs into his room.

Gaster, curious and intrigued, followed.

You made a pit-stop into your bedroom to grab a large plastic bag from the closest clothing store. Gaster raised an eyebrow at you again but you just smiled and knocked twice on Sans’s door before opening it.

“Alright,” You hummed and sat cross-legged in the middle of the floor and started pulling out clothes, “Time to show you my haul.”

Sans knelt by you and looked into the bag with curious eyes and hands, “what is all this?”

“Bathing suits,” You smiled, “And this is only half the surprise.”

“Bathing suits?” Gaster blinked, surprised, “Are you taking them somewhere?”

“Shh,” You shushed Gaster and held up a pair of shorts for Sans, who giggled at the speech bubbles filled with beach-related puns all over them, “Now, watch me get Pap dressed so you can see how to do the drawstring, Sans.”

Despite Gaster acting like a wet blanket, the boys were excited to try the new experience. They dressed and you put water wings on both of them (even though the pool you got was nowhere near deep enough for Sans to worry about, but you could see how it set Gaster at ease, so you made sure both boys were wearing them). You handed Papyrus off to Gaster and smiled.

“Be a good father and keep them entertained for a few minutes,” You grinned and headed for your own room where you quickly changed into your own swimming suit.

It was a tanktop type with a skirt, but you liked the way it flowed around you when you swam. Plus, it was a pretty shade of purple.

When you stepped out of your room, Gaster was just starting to leave Sans’s. The adult froze in the doorway, his eyes glued on your form. You didn’t notice as you reached up and took Papyrus from him.

“dad, move,” Sans whined and managed to duck around Gaster’s legs as you giggled and turned to head for the stairs.

Gaster was sure he hadn’t seen that much of your skin at one point before. Your legs were bare up to your upper thighs and your arms were completely bare. Even your neckline was lower than the shirts you normally wore. His throat tightened as he felt your fingers brush across his as you lifted Papyrus into your arms.

He was very happy you completely missed the purple dusting of a blush that he could feel burning his face. He had noticed your beauty in an aesthetic sense of course--he found you quite pleasing to the eye. Now, with the cloth of your suit clinging to your skin-

It was more than a few moments where he couldn’t bring himself to join the three of you outside simply because he couldn’t get ahold of his body or thoughts.

You had been completely oblivious, though. Instead, you were throwing open the back door with a loud, “TA DAH!”

“sweet,” Sans laughed before he ran off the end of the deck and toward the miniature pool you had purchased the night before.

It was big enough that the water would come to Sans’s waist, but you were mostly going to sit in for Papyrus’s sake. Still, cool water on a day that was already climbing up toward the triple digits (whether it actually made it there never seemed to matter, the sun was oppressive regardless) was a temptation you were happy to indulge in.

When Gaster was finally able to rejoin the three of you, Sans was splashing without abandon and Papyrus was shrieking with joy. You were laughing and bouncing Papyrus in the water, letting the baby stand on his own with your hands supporting him below his armpits.

“dad! look at this!” Sans jumped into the air and in a moment of stuttered teleportation, appeared four feet higher. Your heart hammered in your chest and one of your hands shot out to try and ease his fall, but there was no way-

Suddenly, Sans’s whole body froze in mid air. Sans thought it was great fun and giggled as his body twisted as if he were floating in space.

“Sans,” Gaster had one hand held out and his left eye was glowing blue as he walked toward the edge of the water, “The pool does not have enough water to displace your weight, however slight it is. You could get hurt.”

“k,” Sans twisted again, but was only able to face Gaster for less than three seconds before he was giggling over the new spin he had given himself.

“You also scared Ms. Emmerson,” Gaster’s fingers shifted and Sans moved until he was facing you while he hung upside down, “Apologize, please.”

“k,” Sans giggled again, even though he was now nearly stationary, “sorry, zeezee.”

You were still marvelling at Gaster’s magic, but you leaned forward and kissed Sans’s forehead, “I forgive you.”

Pleased, Gaster lowered Sans and shifted his orientation until he let Sans fall less than a foot into the water onto his rear. Sans giggled and splashed his hands against the surface of the water again; Papyrus joined in and screamed his laughter at watching Sans’s play.

You looked up at Gaster, who stood over the pool with his impossible height, “What was that?”

Gaster raised a brow bone at you, “Please elaborate.”

“You made Sans _float_ ,” You huffed, “I didn’t know you could do that!”

A smirk so devious appeared on the scientists face so suddenly that you leaned away from him a little, “Affecting an individual’s gravity is child’s play; allow me to demonstrate.”

You shrieked and clutched Papyrus tightly as you suddenly rose out of the water. Your nervous movement sent you spinning slowly backwards until you slowly spun in front of Gaster’s face. Despite how Sans had made it look, you couldn’t feel your blood rushing to your head, and the skirt of your bathing suit wasn’t pulling down toward the ground. Instead, it hovered around your hips.

“Gaster!” You still protested loudly, “This isn’t funny!”

“I quite agree; magic of this caliber is not meant for games,” Despite his words, Gaster’s face was set in a wide grin, “I’m merely gathering useful observational data.”

“Data?” You raised an eyebrow toward him as you finally started to drift right-side up again, “Just what data are you gathering here, Gaster?”

“‘The Effect of A Micro Zero-Gravitational Field On the Nanny’s Mood’, of course,” Gaster looked ready to burst into laughter, even as he absently tugged at the ends of his sleeves; it was then that you noticed one of the ethereal hands he was fond of conjuring was the actual hand controlling the blue light that seemed to be controlling your floating, “The results are a little mixed and perhaps biased by other outside sources.”

“Like your smart mouth,” You snapped, but you could feel yourself smiling, “Now put me down, _gently_.”

“Only with the utmost care,” Gaster agreed and in moments you were hip-deep in the water with your legs tucked under you again.

“that’s blue magic!” Sans was suddenly in your lap with Papyrus, talking more quickly than you had ever heard him speak, “someday, i’m gonna do that too, cause dad’s gonna teach me!”

Despite your stomach trying to figure itself out now that you were back to feeling Earth’s gravity, you found yourself smiling at Sans. Gaster chuckled above you and even as your eyes caught his, you couldn’t find it in you to stop your grin from getting just a little bigger.

You really wished this happy period could have lasted, just a little longer.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sooooo, that was ominous, no? 
> 
> Sort of a pre-warning, next few chapters are gonna be heavier! I'll give specific warnings at the beginning of each chapter!
> 
> Comments are always appreciated, and please follow my tumblr: [PurpleFictionMom.tumblr.com](http://purplefictionmom.tumblr.com/) My asks and messages are always open!


	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ** WARNING: **   
>  ** Violence, Peril **

Maybe it was naive to hope that you and the boys would never see the ugly side of the protests that were currently happening near Gaster’s work. Just, you thought that all the happiness that had been growing could possibly shield at least the boys from the growing discontent in the world.

It was a naive hope and it was shattered on Papyrus’s 1st Birthday.

October 5th dawned happily enough, at least. You had woken early enough that you spent the morning tip-toeing through the house so you could decorate for the big day. Gaster and you had gone over different plans and the ideas of guest lists, but the tall skeletal monster had basically told you that the only ones who would have wanted to show up for a party would have been Toriel and Asgore, as well as their children.

_“Well, they did send those packages,” You had offered while resting a hand on his, “Obviously they wished they could be here.”_

_“Of course,” Gaster had shaken himself of the regretful mood he was in and the two of you finally decided on a small family gathering instead of an actual party._

The agenda was easy after that. First, a special breakfast of cupcake pancakes, a few games around the house, and then lunch at Tillby’s. After that, it was opening presents and more games. A simple day, all about the bright bouncing joy that was Papyrus.

You found yourself smiling as you twisted colorful streamers over the archway that lead into the living room and then the kitchen. Papyrus would love the colors and you thought he’d love to play with the paper as long as you didn’t let him put it in his mouth. Your smile widened as you thought of just how his tiny hands would reach and his fingers would wiggle with joy and want.

That little babybones had definitely stolen your maternal instincts. Him and Sans both. You always cared for the children you nannied; you always wanted what was best for them, but there was just something about these two children that made it just too hard for you to see this as a job. It _wasn’t_ just a job and it had only been a few months.

You had to wonder at that. Getting close to people was part of the job, but you never would think to reach out to any of your past clients (their children, probably--you had a hand in helping to raise them, after all), but now you couldn’t imagine not speaking to Gaster every day. You wondered if you could even handle it if you couldn’t watch Sans or Papyrus anymore.

You mixed the batter for the pancakes, then you turned and headed back upstairs to wake Sans up first.

“C’mon babybones,” You kissed Sans’s forehead and brushed his skull with your fingers, “It’s Pap’s big day.”

He was up quicker than any other day you had tried to wake the lazy boy and that made you smile fondly.

“pap’s birthday!” Sans giggled and hurried to get dressed while you stepped out of the room and closed the door behind you. Gaster was exiting his room as well--his hands kept tugging at the sleeves of his shirt and you snorted before you walked closer to him.

“You’re worrying so much about your sleeves you forgot your top buttons,” You quipped quietly--you didn’t want to wake Papyrus until Sans was ready, “Here, let me.”

The skeletal man froze as you stepped into his personal space and reached up to fasten the two buttons he had forgotten below his collar. You noticed a purple glow on his face, but you had a thought to spare him from your teasing as you fixed his collar after. You really only came to about the middle of his chest, now that you were comparing. Normally, Gaster was sitting (or you were) so you never really got a read on his actual height compared to yours, but you couldn’t deny the flush of warmth that suddenly stirred in your chest and belly.

“c’mon! i bet paps is already awake!” Sans suddenly whispered behind you and you glanced over your shoulder as you finished fussing with Gaster’s collar.

“Alright, alright, in you go,” You smiled and let Gaster go in to the room after Sans while you brought up the rear.

True to form, Papyrus was already up and squealed happily when all three of you entered the room singing a silly and off-key version of the happy birthday song. Whether or not Papyrus understood wasn’t important; what was important was the look of pure glee on his face.

The pancakes were easy to cook, since you had already made the batter and soon, everyone was enjoying a stack of colorful pancakes. Papyrus’s were only quarter the size of everyone else's, but he had double the number.

Sans kept humming the birthday song between each game and could usually rouse you and Gaster into another round of full-blown singing with just a few pleading looks; you relented much easier than Gaster did, but he never could resist once you started the first words.

It was such a happy morning. And it crashed too easily.

Teleporting to Tillby’s was practically routine by this point. Gaster held Papyrus and you had Sans on your shoulders while you clung to the boy’s legs and Gaster’s arm. A step forward and suddenly the cool fall air was surrounding the four of you in the parking lot just outside of Tillby’s.

You shook yourself, but now that you had been doing that with Gaster every weekend for the past few months, the queasy feeling you had started with was all but gone. Papyrus wasn’t fairing so well, though.

“Aww, bittybones,” You cooed toward Papyrus, who was squirming in Gaster’s arms.

“I will take him to the restroom to check him over,” Gaster said easily, and you agreed.

“Sans and I will hook up our usual booth,” You replied.

“yeah!” Sans giggled before the four of you entered the building.

Tillby was busy at the breakfast bar--the usual Sunday crowd was in full swing now that it was lunchtime, but Grillby quickly came to lead you and Sans toward your usual place--Gaster greeted both monsters before he headed in the other direction, toward the bathrooms.

“How are your online classes going, Grillby?” You asked before you pulled Sans from your shoulders and let the boy run ahead of you toward the booth.

“I don’t think I’ll continue them,” Grillby shrugged, “I thought I might...open a bar, actually.”

You felt your smile widen, “Don’t let your mother hear that or she’ll lock you in the kitchen.”

Both of you laughed quietly as he stepped away to grab a high chair. You didn’t sit yet--there was something that had you feeling antsy. So instead, you glanced over toward where Tillby was chatting happily with the customers who often hung out long after their meals were over in order to spend time in the happy atmosphere of the diner. You didn’t blame them.

Tillby and her husband Grannon had built this place from nothing once they had left the Underground--they filled it with their love for each other, their love for Grillby and his younger sister Fuku, and their love for food. It was a good place.

“You know, maybe you should see if you can take a couple business courses before you drop out,” You offered the advice, “Opening a bar could be tough without that.”

Grillby seemed to think about it for a few minutes, so you added more.

“You’ll need to be 21 before you can open something like a bar any-”

Your words were cut off when you heard the front door bang open, shattering the glass in the frame of it.

“Hey, you can’t-”

“Get down!” 

“Tillby, look out!”

It happened so fast, you were stuck where you were for far too long, frozen in fear.

Five men, each carrying an overly large pail rushed into the diner. Two rushed toward the breakfast bar and you saw them sling water and ice toward Tillby. Luckily, the first missed completely and just soaked a few of the monsters at the breakfast bar. That was enough of a tip for the rest of those sitting there--including a few humans--to suddenly jump up and try to block the female fire elemental from the next slosh of water.

Two more darted toward the bathrooms, where you knew was a direct door into the kitchen was--that made your heart skip and you felt yourself turn more toward the action just in time to see the final man spot Grillby, who was standing, tense, next to you.

He started to rush forward and you moved as quickly as you could think.

You spun and grabbed the high chair from Grillby. It was awkward in your hands but you threw it anyway. It tilted and spun end over end, but tripped up the man enough that when he tossed the water, you could step over and take the brunt of it. You sputtered. The ice and water made your skin seize and your breath left your lungs.

“G-Grillby, move! Take Sans!”

You kept an eye on the man, who was still trying to get the high chair off his legs, since he stepped in the middle of it's supports. Sans’s protests were jumbled in your ears as you quickly moved to keep the attacker’s eyes on you.

“You bitch!” The man snarled and lunged for you.

You tried to step back, but a chair leg caught you. His hands suddenly pawed as your hips. You screamed as you both topped over a table. Pain bloomed in your hips and back and the back of your head. His hands raked over your clothes. He was trying to grip and grab you; he was reaching for your neck. You struggled and kicked. You tried to reach for anything to grab. Your wet fingers couldn’t find purchase on anything.

The man was wearing some sort of clear plastic mask; it glinted and reflected all light that hit it, and made it impossible to see his features, except for where his mouth was. The mask left a wide, horseshoe shaped hole for his mouth and chin. His teeth were bared and you caught the sight of a gold tooth and fillings toward the back of his mouth.

“You monster-fucking WHORE!” He snarled and suddenly you couldn’t breathe. 

The weight of his fingers bruised, your throat and body struggled for it's next breath. You thought you could hear louder commotions around you, but there were other attackers, right? Did anyone except Grillby realize you were in trouble? You hoped he took Sans somewhere safe. You couldn’t breathe. Your head started to pound; it felt like it was splitting open at the seams.

The edges of your vision began to get dark; purple and dark colored spots began to cloud your vision.

“You’ll regret this, you _bitch_ ,” His words were venom and his fingers tightened with each one. You couldn’t keep focus. This had to be it. There was no one to help.

You were going to die here.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ooops, did I put a cliffhanger here? Welp, guess you guys are gonna have to wait and see what happens :3c
> 
> Comments are always appreciated, and please follow my tumblr: [PurpleFictionMom.tumblr.com](http://purplefictionmom.tumblr.com/) My asks and messages are always open!


	16. Chapter 16

“zeezee!”

Sans’s voice suddenly filled your ears. Oh no. Did he come back? Was he going to do something dumb? You felt a rush of adrenaline and you struggled and pushed at the man above you. It didn’t help, but it seemed to shock the man on top of you. His fingers loosened for just a moment…

And then his hands and weight were gone completely.

You hacked and coughed and turned over so you could try and pull away from wherever the man was. Your body wasn’t responding; all you could do was tremble and cough. Lungfuls of air gulped greedily between your lips as you tried to focus on anything else around you.

“zeezee,” Sans’s voice; he was crying. Was that his small hands shaking your shoulder? “zee, pl-please be okay!”

“I-I’m-” Your voice was hoarse, it hurt and nearly didn’t work; you wanted to reassure him, but your throat burned and nothing except another hacking cough left your chest. Tears and snot were pouring down your face, but you didn’t care. You had to control yourself, or you’d throw up--you could already feel bile burning at the back of your throat. Your head was throbbing.

“Wh...where’s-” You gasped and swallowed; you forced the bile down, but another cough brought it back up and gagged you, “S-Sans, where’s-”

“grillby’s with his mom,” Sans’s voice was weak, “i-i had to get d-dad; i didn’t know….”

“I-it’s okay…” Your voice sounded mangled, but you managed to push yourself up on your hands and knees--you had no idea where the man went, but your body was in overdrive as you tried to make sure Sans would be safe near you.

The diner was chaos around you both. Tables and chairs were overturned and it looked like there was smoke coming from the kitchen. Your stomach dropped at that--either the diner was on fire, or something had happened to Grannon. Your eyes locked onto movement. There were monsters and humans cowering by the breakfast bar, but the one standing in front of them was-

“G-gaster?” You choked and sat back on your heels.

In his arms, Gaster was shielding Papyrus with both of his physical hands and a bright green shield. Even from here, you could tell Papyrus was screeching in terror, but you couldn’t hear a sound of it. Around him, Gaster had materialized 7 hands, each glowing a brightly different color. Seven different colors of magic. You felt Sans throw himself into your arms and you gripped him tightly, despite the uncomfortable and gross feeling of your wet clothes clinging to your skin.

3 of the men were trapped in one way or another. The one you thought was your attacker was pressed into the ceiling, his body surrounded by a blue glow you knew meant that Gaster had changed his gravity. Another was surrounded by brightly glowing blue bones, almost like a cage around him. The third was cowering in a booth, and a large animal skull that sent a wave of fear through you was hovering over the man. A ball of white energy was hovering in its mouth, it's threat obvious.

Where were the other two attackers? Where was Tillby or Grillby? And Grannon? Gaster suddenly said your name. You jumped and looked at him again, holding Sans tightly.

“Are you unharmed?”

The question made your mind feel fuzzy and you swallowed “I-I’m okay.”

When he heard your voice, he grit his teeth before he asked again, “Are you _unharmed_?”

“I…” You reached one hand toward your neck and hissed when you felt the bruises there. His tone was like ice, but you knew it was directed at the men he held captive with his magic.

Before you could answer properly, there was a sudden commotion at the door. Paramedics were arguing with police as two officers came in with their guns drawn.

“Alright, everyone stay where you are!” The larger of the two cops had a gun trained on Gaster and you hurried to twist Sans away from the view before for you held held him tightly--there was no telling what would happen from here and you couldn’t let Sans see if the cop ended up trigger happy and shot his father.

“You, disengage your magic!” The first cop’s partner--a woman with cropped red hair--suddenly shouted at Gaster.

“I am the one restraining the attackers,” Gaster said calmly, but you noticed that all the ethereal hands except for the green, light blue and dark blue hands disappeared, “I will comply fully once they have been subdued by you.”

The woman glanced at the three men who were all cowering and whimpering, “Jerry, go get the zip-ties.”

The man moved quickly, but the woman didn’t take her gun off of Gaster’s form. 

“What’s in your hands?” The woman asked, her voice hard until it lost strength as she realized, “Wait, is that-”

“My son,” Gaster said gently, “I will not lower my shield over him.”

 

“dad!” Sans was struggling in your arms, and you tried to comfort him, but he managed to turn around in your hold, “don’t hurt my dad! don’t hurt paps! please!”

His tears broke your heart and you just held him tightly, “S-Sans, please--we need to listen to the police officers.”

“she’s gonna hurt my dad! he saved everyone and she’s gonna hurt him!” Sans sobbed in your arms and you felt your own fears reacting to his and tears burned your eyes.

“Sans,” Gaster’s voice soothed, “I will not leave you so easily; this police woman is simply upholding the law.”

You hiccuped and it burned your throat. You held Sans tighter and he turned to hold onto you as he cried into your chest. The adrenaline was making your brain and body shake and tremble; you felt exhausted and overly hyped at the same time. You couldn’t think clearly.

It was quick, once the male cop came back from wherever he disappeared to. The three men were zip-tied and apprehended while Gaster quietly informed them of the two others who apparently escaped out the back door.

When Gaster finally released all of his magic, Papyrus’s shrieking finally came full volume. The shock of it made the infant hiccup and start to cry all over again. You wanted to hold the child but the female cop had barely lowered her gun as multiple humans and monsters insisted that Gaster was clear of any wrongdoing.

Paramedics flooded in and you saw a few monsters among them--these hurried into the back of the restaurant while the human EMTs hurried to check over everyone else for injuries. When they hurried over to you, you held Sans tighter.

“Ma’am, how did you get those bruises, are you seriously injured?” The woman who knelt in front of you had soft blonde hair that waved into small curls at the ends. Her body leaned toward yours and you finally started to cry.

“I-I…” You weren’t sure how you managed to recount what happened--it had all happened so fast and you sounded like your voice was suddenly made of glass and gravel stuck in a blender--but you were happy that the male officer was hovering nearby and jotting down notes--you didn’t know if you wanted to repeat it ever again. Your body felt weak, your throat felt sore and it only got worse as the female EMT checked your injuries.

The woman moved on from you with a direct order to go see your primary care doctor and you nodded. Sans trembled in your hold, but your eyes were on Gaster, who was sitting at the bench in the waiting area near the front door while a new pair of officers questioned him. You couldn’t stand to see Gaster questioned that way, but you didn’t even think your legs would work anymore.

“i-i want m-my d-daddy,” Sans moaned into your shoulder and you finally felt some feeling return to your body.

“H...hold on,” You swallowed and felt sick again, but you refused to let go of Sans as you started to push yourself to your feet. That was probably the hardest part. Except for maybe the first step. No, now you had your balance.

The male cop who was taking general notes reached out to help you, but you shrank away from him and nearly stumbled as you headed for Gaster.

“Ma’am, please-”

You ignored him and slipped in front of the pair of officers who were questioning Gaster. You didn’t even listen to their protests as Sans started to reach out so he could grip Gaster’s shirt. The problem was that Sans refused to let go of you as you hunched closer to Gaster so you couldn’t lose your balance. You were too tired to figure out what to do anymore.

Sans wouldn’t let go and now Papyrus was gripping your shirt from his place against Gaster’s chest. You groaned and climbed into Gaster’s lap and straddled his hips. Your arms curled around both boys and you leaned into Gaster’s chest with them.

You completely missed Gaster’s shock and the way his body froze at your bold movement. It wasn’t but a few seconds before his arms circled around all three of you, the officer’s questions ignored for just a few moments as a few purple tears leaked from the corners of his eyes.

He would never admit it out loud, but the absolute terror that took his soul when he realized his children in danger had unconsciously extended to cover you as well. The moment he heard from Sans (who had teleported straight into the bathroom hallway, accidently bringing Grillby with him in a show of power that stunned Gaster) that you were in danger, he hadn’t hesitated to let the two attackers in the kitchen escape out the back door. With them gone, and Grannon alive--half-extinguished, but alive and demanding that Gaster leave his kitchen and protect the diner and everyone in it--Gaster had rushed out.

Seeing that man over you, watching your aura--the power of your very soul--disappearing before his very eyes...Gaster had nearly given in to his terror and anger. The fact that Gaster hadn’t killed him instantly was simply a testament to his self control. He wouldn’t ruin things for Monsters by killing a human; and he wouldn’t kill in front of his children.

But it was a near thing.

Now, his children and you were safe in his arms; the monsters and humans in this diner were safe. It was almost more than he could ask for. The rest of the questioning went by in a daze for him, now that he felt secure in his children’s and your safety. No matter what he was asked, he simply stressed the facts.

Gerson arrived not long after you crawled into Gaster’s lap.

“Our people will cooperate with any investigation you have, but my people have been attacked and they deserve to go home,” Gerson was arguing with one of the officers, but you were barely paying attention.

You started when Gaster said your name, “Someone would like to speak with you…”

“Please, I don’t...I don’t want to pull you away…”

You recognized Tillby’s voice and you shifted in Gaster’s hold until you could turn enough to see her. You were still straddling Gaster’s lap, but Tillby moved to sit on the bench next to your small group pile. The fire elemental had glowing tears, but you couldn’t tell if they were made of magic or perhaps...liquid fire? Either way, she reached out and gently touched your shoulder.

“Th-thank you,” You could feel her hand trembling on your shoulder, “Thank y-you, for protecting my son.”

Your hand came up to cover hers and you tried to offer her a shaky smile; tears were burning your eyes again, but you held them back.

“I would do it again,” You said quietly, “I’m glad he’s safe.”

Tillby was overcome and ended up wrapping you, Gaster and the boys in a large hug, even though her arms came nowhere close to being able to wrap completely around your group. She pulled back only when Gerson approached the five of you.

“The officers will start allowing everyone to leave once they get names and contact information,” Gerson sighed and rubbed his face. You glanced up at Gaster before you turn back to watch the ancient looking turtle monster. He looked tired and you could certainly understand the feeling.

“Is it possible that they will misinterpret?” Gaster’s question was vague enough for the children--who were all but asleep in your arms and against your chest--but you perked up immediately.

“There’s no way they can pin any of this on you,” You snapped, voice still hoarse and damaged, “And if they try, I’m going to flip every lid I have.”

Gerson and Gaster both blinked down at you before Gerson started to snort and laugh to himself, “Got a little spitfire there, huh?”

Gaster offered you a smile in return for your ferocity, but Gerson still answered honestly, “There’s always that possibility, Doc; but with this little human and all the witnesses, you won’t have much to worry about.”

Anymore talk was put on hold as the first woman officer came over and took both yours and Gaster’s information and made a small note about Sans and Papyrus. Your stomach turned at the idea that someone might make Sans relive today for the sake of a testimony, but you just pressed your lips together.

“I will take my family home, Gerson,” Gaster said and shifted his grip on the three of you in his lap, “Unless you need anything else from us?”

“No, no; I’ll speak with you later,” Gerson waved Gaster off, “Go and take a rest from this nasty business--maybe even think of keeping the lab closed tomorrow-”

“I won’t,” Gaster said sternly, “I will not give in to those vile humans.”

What exactly they were talking about was a little over your head at the moment; Gaster had included you when he said his ‘family’. Your heart, which you figured had been through too much already, started to hammer in your chest again.

“Well, I’ll be in touch,” Gerson said noncommittally and stepped away.

Gaster’s arms tightened around you and you squeaked quietly when he suddenly stood. His arms held you up easily, even as your hands gripped his shirt tightly.

“Hold on, for just a moment,” Gaster’s voice rumbled in his chest; you had never noticed before, but now that you were gripping his shirt, you could feel it.

A moment later, you smelled the sweet remnants of what had been breakfast--the four of you were home again. It was strange to smell something so sweet when you could still barely contain the pain in your head and throat. You had no idea what to do from here, but Gaster seemed more than capable of taking it from here.

At least, you hoped he would, for a little bit.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not quite out of the woods yet (aka: there's more to this scene and, really, drama never ends, so we'll see, yeah? xD)
> 
> Comments are always appreciated, and please follow my tumblr: [PurpleFictionMom.tumblr.com](http://purplefictionmom.tumblr.com/) My asks and messages are always open!


	17. Chapter 17

Gaster did take charge and it was a relief for you to be put on the couch and left to just hold the two boys who had fallen asleep in your arms while he moved away and started to move about the house. You swallowed and felt your grip on the children tighten. There wasn’t a question of Papyrus’s safety--Gaster had obviously been prepared to overcome hell or high water to keep his bittybones safe, but Sans…

You felt a chill run over your skin as you remembered his cried protests while Grillby had dragged him away. He had wanted to stay with you. A sudden image of the man in the mask filtered into your mind and for a horrifying moment, you thought you could imagine Sans trapped beneath such a human. Gagging and gasping, dying as air was denied to him-

A quiet sob left your body and you held the boys all the closer; both shifted in their exhaustion, but still dozed peacefully. You knew you couldn’t protect Sans, not the way Gaster could have. You had been left in charge of him and the fact was, if things had gone just a little awry--if a few decisions had been switched, suddenly it was Sans in the crosshairs and you were just an innocent bystander.

Your small breakdown was interrupted by a warm hand on the top of your head. You snapped up to look at Gaster. He had settled onto the couch next to you.

“It would be pointless to ask if you are feeling better,” Gaster’s voice was quiet, “But please know, I owe you so much for making sure Sans was safe.”

The tears bubbled into your eyes again, “B-barely.”

Gaster shook his head, “You made the right decision--you put his safety above your own and I will be eternally grateful.”

You hiccuped again, but you were finally able to nod with some sense of conviction.

“Can you help me put the children to bed? A nap for them both would do well,” Gaster pulled his hands away and he suddenly looked exhausted.

You nodded slowly and allowed Gaster to take Sans from your arms. Papyrus settled again as you as you readjusted how he was sleeping. You had to control another short wave of emotions as you finally stood and headed for Papyrus’s room. The whole day hovered over your head and was brought back in a sharp reminder when your throat would twinge from the bruise.

As you lowered Papyrus into his crib, he opened his eyes and reached up to grab your finger. His grip was firm, but you were struck by the suddenly way he was looking up at you. He looked tired, but smiled serenely up at you. You couldn’t get the feeling out of your head that he was trying to comfort you. Maybe it was the sudden shift of energy in the air, maybe it was just how eerily calm he was despite his usual tendency for chaos and noise.

“Ms. Emmerson?”

Gaster’s voice didn’t make you jump the way it normally would have. Instead, his voice wrapped around the room and Papyrus’s eyes closed in quiet bliss as he drifted back off to sleep.

“I...I’m here,” You said lamely. Gaster didn’t comment, but instead pushed forward.

“Please,” He paused as he stepped up behind you and watched as Papyrus’s hand held your finger firmly, “Come downstairs and I will heal you.”

“Me?” You finally tore your eyes away from the infant and looked up.

His fingers were already gently brushing along your jaw, careful not to touch the skin of our neck. You couldn’t stop as you flinched; you felt the hot, sweaty hands of your attacker again. Your breathing picked up and your hand flew to your mouth. You had no idea if you were afraid of sobbing or screaming.

Before you could even fight the first tear from falling, your face was suddenly pressed tightly against the soft wool of Gaster’s white sweater; his arms were wrapped tightly around you, while your face was pressed gently to his chest. You didn’t know when, but your hands gripped his shirt tightly while you leaned heavily into his hold.

You couldn’t stop trembling, the tremors just took hold of your chest and spread outwards like something was possessing you. The air you could barely breathe tasted like Gaster--ozone, chalk and the muddled scent of well-aged books--even as you felt yourself unraveling, Gaster was winding you back up.

“Come,” Gaster urged quietly; his voice rumbled in his chest and you nodded.

You weren’t sure if he teleported you to the living room, or if you simply were too out of touch to remember the walk down the stairs, but you recognized the room as soon as Gaster let you go enough so that he could sit on the coffee table while he helped you sit on the couch. His knees were spread round yours and you sat on the edge of the couch so he could reach you easily.

“Be still,” Gaster’s voice was low, and his long fingers encouraged you to raise your chin until you were looking him in the eye, “I will not harm you, Ms. Emmerson.”

“...you can call me Zelda,” It was almost habit at this point, but your voice was still gruff from the pain and damage.

Gaster didn’t answer with his usual ‘noted’. Instead, a warmth began to surround your throat. Instead of it causing a panic, the warmth of it instantly soothed and comforted. A green light came from below your face, but it was soft and shimmering, like light off the surface of a pool of water. Gaster’s eyes were on his hands, but only until he realized you were watching his face. When his eyes locked with yours, you suddenly wondered if you’d ever breathe easily again. His eyes were tight and small; sharply focused on you as if he expected that any wavering of his attention would suddenly prove you to be a mirage. Your stomach twisted pleasantly beneath your ribs.

Your hand tentatively reached up to touch his wrist. The smooth bones settled together like a puzzle, but your fingertips still brushed along the spaces between, feeling the surge of energy he was using to heal you.

Gaster had to swallow whatever noise his throat had tried to make. Pleasure or surprise, he couldn’t trust himself. Instead, he forced himself to speak.

“I...haven’t hurt you, have I?”

His voice was breathy and weighed heavily in your ears. You wondered if the dryness in your mouth was from the healing or how intensely he was looking into your eyes.

“N...no,” You found your voice and already the gravel in it was gone--but why couldn’t you put any strength into it? “You’d never.”

Were his shoulders tensing? His eyes widened, but not in surprise. You swallowed under his fingertips. Your heart was pounding in your ears.

“I’d never,” He all but whispered and the energy around your neck was hot enough to scald, but simply left you breathless.

“Gaster, I…” You mouth moved without your permission, but your voice died almost as quickly.

You didn’t think it was possible for Gaster’s eye lights to get any smaller, but they did and it had the eerie effect of making him look...scared. Your hand gently closed around his wrist as his healing magic began to fade.

“I…” He glanced back toward the staircase behind you, “I don’t have any right to ask this, after what happened today, but please...don’t leave. I couldn’t--the, the boys need you.”

The fact that Gaster was able to stumble over words wasn’t lost on you, but you felt the color rise in your face all the same, “Leave? Gaster, why would you think I would leave?”

A small tug on his wrist and he obediently moved to sit next to you on the couch. You wondered how much of it was his simply moving automatically, but you couldn’t help but feel a sense of longing. That realization made your face burn, but you didn’t let your eyes leave Gaster’s. The hand whose wrist you were holding moved to your shoulder and his other hand dropped to his lap.

“An attack like this was inevitable, in retrospect,” Despite your steady gaze, Gaster’s eyes dropped, “It should have been obvious, I shouldn’t have taken it so lightly and now this has rocked us to the core--more will likely follow and it is very likely I will become a target.”

His dead honestly sent chills over your spine, “...And what about the boys?”

That thought seemed to be something Gaster had avoided thinking about. His mouth tightened into a grimace and his eye lights actually disappeared. Normally, this sort of face on Sans would have meant the child was upset, maybe even near tears. That’s not the feeling that crackled in the air from Gaster.

Gaster was livid at the idea of his children coming so close to danger. You felt something burning in your chest as his expression morphed from anger to pure fear.

“The boys…” So much seemed to be swimming through his head, he couldn’t focus. His eye lights reappeared, but they were fuzzy, unfocused, almost misty, “I...do not know what to do.”

The admission hit you like a bullet to your heart. Dr. Wing Dings Gaster, the Royal Scientist, head of his division, always cool under pressure and smarter than anyone you had ever known...and he was at a complete loss. His children were suddenly too close to danger, too close to the crosshairs and he wasn’t all the things that others saw. He was a father, afraid for his children.

“I’m not leaving,” You suddenly said firmly, “I won’t leave the boys to face this on their own--and I won’t leave you to face it alone either.”

A beat of silence fell between the two of you as his eyes finally focused in again, this time on your eyes. The fierce determination in them made the monster yank you into his hold before he even realized he had moved.

His arms wrapped around you and his head buried itself in your hair at the crook of your neck. Your arms wrapped around his ribcage before you even felt the hot prickle of magical tears against your skin. There weren’t many--in fact, you were almost sure you imagined it, except for the fact that you had dried enough of both Sans’s and Papyrus’s tears to know what you were feeling against your neck--and they dried quickly, but Gaster couldn’t seem to let go of you for a long time after.


	18. Chapter 18

Nightmares haunted you, except, you weren’t exactly sure you could call them nightmares.

The images were horrific, the sounds made your stomach roll and had bile burning at the back of your throat, the ideas that flushed together were terrifying...but through it all, you weren’t scared. It was like there was an invisible wall between you and what you were seeing. Or maybe the things you felt were just muted, turned off, thrown out. Or maybe it was that you woke up warm, safe and with strong arms wrapped securely around you.

Your eyelids were still heavy when you tried to open them, but you couldn’t keep them closed once you realized what position you were actually in. Your back was pressed into the back of the couch while Gaster was pressed as close to you as he could be, one arm under your head and the other wrapped securely around your waist. You had no idea he could even fit on this couch with his long legs.

That answer came when you tried to shift and realized one of his legs was between yours, bent until he was pressed right against the apex of your thighs. His other leg was wrapped around yours, tangled in what felt like an impossible way.

Your face began to burn as you swallowed and tried to shift, but Gaster held fast.

How did you both get like this? Oh, wait...yesterday wasn’t a bad dream. The attack on Tillby’s Diner, the terrorists, the man who had tried to kill you...You shivered and unconsciously pressed closer to Gaster’s chest. You had no idea what time it was, but you couldn’t see any natural light coming in from the windows, so it must still be terribly late...or terribly early? You hummed quietly and closed your eyes.

That’s right. Gaster healed you, and then practically begged you not to leave--not that leaving ever crossed your mind. Gaster would have to fire you, and then force you out of the house to get you to leave at this point. Not to mention what the boys would think if you just up and left after such a traumatic experience.

No, you were staying.

“...are you alright?”

You jumped a little at Gaster’s tired question, but when you looked up at his face, you could see the dusting of glowing purple light that gathered on the apples of his cheeks. The silence of the house pressed in around you and you could only answer in a matched whisper.

“I’m better,” You said quietly, “Not quite…’alright’, yet, but better.”

Neither of you mentioned the position you were in. Either it was obvious the type of embrace this was or neither of you wanted to really examine it too closely. You weren’t sure which camp you resided in, but it was easier not to focus on when Gaster spoke next.

“Please, keep Sans home from school this week,” Gaster said it quietly with his eyes closed, “The boy will try to hide what he is feeling, and I…”

You nodded, “I understand.”

“Papyrus…” The way Gaster’s voice suddenly tightened made your hands tighten on his turtleneck, “...will likely not remember anything as he grows, but…”

“Your children are safe,” You whispered, “I’ll make sure of it, and I’ll help them and love them with everything I have.”

Silence fell over the room and it was hard not to notice how open and bare the two of you felt suddenly. Together, laying in the dark with the terrorist attack still hanging so closely over both of your heads; you couldn’t stop yourself from leaning forward and resting your forehead against Gaster’s chin.

“...Thank you,” He suddenly murmured into your skin, “I...don’t know how I would have handled this alone.”

“Don’t sell yourself short,” You heard yourself try to say it lightly, but your voice was thick with emotion or sleep--you weren’t quite sure which, “You’re Dr. W. D. Gaster--you’ll probably deal with this better than me in the long run.”

The arms around you didn’t move or shift, but suddenly, a warm flush of magic was against your skin and as you tipped your face back, you realized that one of Gaster’s ethereal hands had been conjured to cup your chin and tilt your head back.

“Then let us rest on each other,” He breathed against your skin and you felt your heart begin to pound in your chest again, “I will lean on your strengths and you lean onto mine.”

You swallowed thickly and leaned into his touch, “Don’t forget to take breaks, too.”

He chuckled quietly, the sound rumbling in your chest as much as his, “Yet another reason I need you.”

The flush of meaning behind the words left you gripping him tighter and his eyes found yours again. The surprise there left you breathless and you had no idea if you should act on the sudden warmth coming from your chest. Did he mean it that way? Was he just baring himself to you because of the attack?

“Ms. Emmerson, I…” Gaster was breathless, his chest moving in silently while your body arched closer to him.

“Zelda,” You hummed and reached up with both hands to touch his face.

“...Zelda,” He said your name quietly and with a reverence you had never heard anyone use on your name before. The sound of your name on his lips sent shivers up your spine and heat in your chest you couldn’t explain or describe.

His arms tightened around you and pulled you closer. Your eyes locked with his and watched as his eye lights dipped toward your lips and then locked with yours again. The ethereal hand slid up into your hair and left a tingling cool sensation in its wake. You felt yourself leaning forward.

Gaster had no lips to speak of, but pressing your lips to his mouth still left a spark that burned like a fire in your chest. You sighed and let your eyes droop closed as you leaned forward into the kiss. Gaster groaned into your mouth and his body tightened around yours, locking you into something you felt would last the rest of the night, or longer.

His magic buzzed and left your lips tingling even as you leaned closer. His hands gripped at your clothes and skin. Your arms raised up so you could drag your fingers over his neck and press against the back of his skull.

Gaster’s whole body shuddered and in a moment, you were suddenly beneath him on the couch. His face and body hovered over yours, close enough that all you had to do was lean up and you’d be against him again.

He hesitated and you felt your heart lodge in your throat. Second thoughts? It wouldn’t be unheard of--the trauma of yesterday, pushing for the closeness you both craved-

But that wasn't right, at least not for you. You had been thinking about Gaster a lot in this way. It was a feeling that popped up when you saw him with his children, when you saw him cooking alongside you on the few days he was actually home early enough to do so.

You felt it when you both were alone and talked about everything and nothing. You felt it now, when there was nothing but air separating you.

“Gaster, please-”

“dad?”

You jumped, but that was nothing compared to Gaster’s reaction. He actually _teleported_ away and ended up crouched on the floor near the armchair. He grumbled quietly because the sudden teleport made him land on his hands and knees roughly.

You laid back on the couch for a few seconds more, trying to retain any of the heat or feelings that had been almost suffocating a few seconds before. You could have laughed at Gaster’s reaction--something more like a teenager being caught by their parent, rather than a father being caught by his son--but the way Gaster wouldn’t look at you, and seemed to be avoiding the reality that you existed at all…

A snap of pain and reality hit your insides so hard, you thought you felt tears burn at the back of your eyes.

“What is it, Sans?” Gaster sat back on his heels and looked over the couch, where Sans would be standing if he were at the bottom of the stairs.

“paps was havin a nightmare and...so was i,” Sans admitting this to his father made you sit up and flip your legs over the edge of the couch. Nightmares were something Sans only ever spoke about when he couldn’t go back to sleep, and to your knowledge, only ever to you.

Sans was holding Papyrus in his arms; both children looked exhausted and ready to cry. You stood and walked around the couch; both children were looking at Gaster, but you refused to. Right now, the boys needed comfort and to talk, and that was what was important.

Even knowing that, you couldn’t help but feel another small sting when Sans and Papyrus walked away from you and toward Gaster. You could never be angry at them for it and you were more than happy to make sure they had what they needed, but so quickly after the quiet rejection from Gaster and you knew that it was really only moments before you would start to cry again.

So instead of standing there, staring at the family of three who suddenly felt worlds away from you, you turned and headed for the kitchen. Even with the sting, all you could do was reach out in the only ways you knew how.

The drink you were making was honestly just quick work: milk on the stove, set low enough to heat it gently, a bottle of honey, some cinnamon and a little tea, brewed in a kettle next to the milk. It was always a go-to recipe when a parent or child couldn’t sleep in your previous homes and you were happy to make it again. Everyone needed a little liquid comfort, it felt like.

So you got down one of the few remaining bottles in the house for Papyrus, you pulled down Sans’s own coffee mug (usually filled with milk, so he could pretend to drink coffee just like his father) with bright pink letters that proclaimed “Tickle me PINK!” and grabbed two other mugs for you and Gaster before you mixed the tea, milk, cinnamon and extra honey into them.

Once the stove was off, you quietly moved back into the living room.

Gaster was sitting in the armchair, with a child under each arm; the three of them clung together, but none seemed in danger of falling asleep again. A quick glance toward the cable box told you why: the four of you had slept for nearly 12 hours. Definitely due to the exhaustion and trauma, but now that you knew how long, you felt a dull headache starting at the base of your skull.

“Come into the kitchen,” You said quietly, and gently touched Gaster’s shoulder. He didn’t tense or jump, which you took as a good sign, but he did look up at you with a blank expression for more than a few moments, “I think we all need a drink in our stomachs...please?”

Maybe it was the way your voice dropped suddenly at ‘please’, or maybe you finally shook him from whatever stupor he was in, but Gaster finally nodded his head and stood, carrying both boys with ease.

Gaster settled in his usual place at the table and you headed for the kitchen to grab the warm drinks you had made. When you returned, you could see that Gaster seemed as reluctant to part with his boys as they were: Sans and Papyrus were still comfortably in his lap.

Papyrus wiggled as soon as he saw the bottle, so you quickly made sure to give him his own drink first. The moment he started drinking, you saw his whole little body relax and you felt a small smile appear on your face.

Sans looked dubious as he saw what was in his cup--milk was fine most of the time, but the little babybones was not usually fond of it warmed up--but a glance toward his brother gave him a little encouragement and he hummed quietly once the taste hit his mouth.

Gaster didn’t reach for his until you had sat down in your own chair across from him, but you didn’t let your eyes move up to catch his own. He and the boys were only just across the table, but for you, there felt like there was suddenly a line drawn in the wood.

 _The Family_ was on one side.

 _The Nanny_ was on the other.

It was almost painful to remember why you usually never let yourself get too close. The children always grew up, the job always ended. There was already a family structure in place, and you were the outsider. They needed your help and you were happy to give it, but to both parties it was always supposed to be a ‘job’.

When had that stopped for you? The first time Papyrus reached for you? Teaching Sans how to pick his own clothes and make puns? The first day of school? Papyrus’s ever engaging chaos and love? From this side of your 4-month employment, it was impossible to tell anymore.

Gaster watched you carefully as he finally reached for his own mug. Your eyes were latched onto a specific point on the table, and at first, he thought you zoned out--except, your eyes continued to return to the same spot, as if you saw something he could never fathom to see. He wondered if you were thinking about the couch. It was certainly something his own mind was trying to latch back onto.

He had never thought to have feelings for an employee before. As the Royal Scientist, he’d had hundred under him in his time in the position and never once had he let himself cross the line; never even felt the temptation.

Now, he was having a hard time realizing that he just...didn’t see you as an employee at all. It was exactly like he had said so easily to Gerson earlier that day: everyone at this table now was family. Now if only that didn’t confuse and complicate his feelings more.

Before his thoughts could muddle anymore, Gaster tipped his mug and felt exactly what you had promised as he drank the creamy and sweet drink: comfort. It created a warmth in his soul that reached further than anything else had today. The swirling emotions, fears, worries, realities faded to gray and he was able to just be present. To be here, with his sons and with you.

Gaster nearly didn’t notice as Papyrus wiggled until he slid from his father’s lap. Gaster helped the child stand, but the moment his hand was away from Papyrus’s body, the toddler pushed away from the chair and took a step.

If it weren’t for Sans’s sudden grip on his sleeve, Gaster would have reached out to pull the boy back. A fall was only one extra thing on top of the pile today, but Sans’s touch stilled him and both watched silently as Papyrus took another confident step.

You noticed the movement, but it wasn’t until Papyrus turned the corner around the table that you noticed him. He was walking on slow shakey steps toward your side of the table. Your throat tightened as you watched him grow in confidence and speed with each step until he was reaching up to you.

A hiccup left you as your eyes burned. His face blurred as tears rushed for freedom and your hands quickly scooped Papyrus up into your lap.

“Oh, bittybones,” You whispered quietly as he cuddled against your chest and continued to drink from his bottle.

You leaned down and pressed a kiss to the top of his skull and tried to wipe tears away quick enough to keep them from falling on the small child. Just as you predicted, one more storm in the house and he was walking. You just never thought it would be _your_ storm that he was looking to push away. A year old, but already so in tune with those around him, so empathetic that he could read a room better than any adult you had ever known.

No matter what logic dictated, there wasn’t any way anyone could convince you that Papyrus wasn’t comforting you in this moment. And if you were honest with yourself--as honest as you tried to be, at least--you needed it. To feel someone reach across that imaginary line you had been building back up between you and the family you loved in front of you. You never would have done it, convinced of your own small place and hurting yourself by forcing yourself to admit they saw you as an outsider.

Papyrus bridged the gap without trying, certainly without understanding fully what he had done or probably even why. So the tears came. The hurt surfaced before you could even try to tell yourself to bury it. You let it wash over you and then slip away with each tear.

It was something that Gaster and Sans already knew about Papyrus, but both were still silently dumbfounded as they watched the two of you connect and hold each other. Gaster glanced down to see that Sans was glancing back up at him. It was unspoken, but Sans was already smiling as if this morning never happened. Gaster felt a little like maybe it hadn’t.

Of course, he knew this wasn’t something that could go away just because their small family had managed to reach a new level of closeness--and he knew you wouldn’t be so naive to think it as well--but for a moment, it was good to bask in the warmth of the kitchen and in the comfort that washed each of them.

You had been right, after all. You all needed the drink.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A liiiiiiiittttle angsty near the end??? BUT PAPYRUS IS THERE TO SAVE THE DAY!
> 
> Comments are always appreciated, and please follow my tumblr: [PurpleFictionMom.tumblr.com](http://purplefictionmom.tumblr.com/) My asks and messages are always open!


	19. Chapter 19

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another chapter is up for [Side-Tales of the Skele-Nanny](https://archiveofourown.org/works/16169789/chapters/38357537)! It's the first of three parts :)

After that night, things had changed on a number of different levels.

In terms of the community, Tillby’s was temporarily closed. Grannon had been badly injured in the attack, and when you, Gaster and the boys had visited him, he was barely able to stay awake. It hurt to see his fire so dim, but more than that were the scars.

It had taken you a little bit to realize that they were, in fact, scars. The skin across half of his face, down one side of his neck and over his shoulder and nearly his entire arm looked like the surface of a volcano, ready to explode: dark splotches of what looked like hardened rock, with cracks of molten magic seeping through. Apparently, one of his legs looked similar, but what hit you harder was the fact that the bright red of his usual coloring was a watery pink instead.

“He’s healing, that’s what is important,” Tillby had said firmly, but her voice was weak from exhaustion and stress, “Grillby and Fuku aren’t taking it very well.”

Indeed, it sounded as if both children had tried dropping out of school immediately. It wasn’t as big of a deal for Grillby--who you knew had been planning on it anyway--but Fuku was barely a sophomore in high school.

“I think she’s afraid,” Tillby confided in you quietly while Gaster and the boys were talking with Grannon behind the curtain, “I think she’s had to deal with bullies before this and now she’s afraid of them.”

You nodded slowly, “She should still finish school, but I know it’s a hard thing to ask now that this all happened.”

“Queen Toriel has offered to waive the fee for Fuku to attend a private Monster Academy, but it would feel…” Tillby hummed and looked ready to cry again.

“Like you were running,” You said quietly and watched the purple fire elemental start to cry quietly, “There’s nothing wrong with keeping your children safe, Till.”

“We just want to be able to live on the Surface in peace,” Tillby sobbed and you gently held her hand, “Why can’t we have that much?”

It had been a hard visit on everyone. The boys, Papyrus included, had been quiet and refused to talk much after you four left. You wondered if you could do much more than that yourself. Gaster managed to be a pillar of strength and told the three of you that Grannon would be healed and back to work soon, but you caught the hard edge of his tone. He was more hoping to believe it than anything, but you didn’t call him on it.

Queen Toriel and King Asgore had tried to cut their political tour short, but Gerson had told them to at least finish the meetings in the current country first. It would keep them away for a few more weeks at most, but you wondered if Gerson was simply wanting to keep the Monarchy away for fear of their safety. This made you wonder just who the next targets would be, if another attack happened.

The school? Another business? Someone in their own home?

The last option made you shiver. The idea of someone targeting specifically Gaster wasn’t a new one, and it wasn’t one that seemed all too farfetched. You were worried every time he stepped out of the house for any reason, but the protests hadn’t done anything but increase. Now, instead of only meeting at the end of the work day, they had met in front of Gaster’s lab all day and half the night since the attack. Granted, it was only Wednesday today, but more than once, you had to stop yourself from trying to keep Gaster home.

Three days had passed. That was something that surprised you every time you glanced at your phone and saw the date. The fact was, it might have been three days since the attack but it was also three days since he kissed you. Since you kissed him? Well, since you both kissed each other.

At some point, Gaster must have rubbed off on you, because neither of you seemed too keen on actually talking about what had happened. Not that you hadn’t given a thought to try. The problem was, now that Papyrus was walking, he had skipped very bravely into _running_ everywhere he wanted to go, and that included up and down the stairs. More than three times today _alone_ , you had to practically catch him as he stumbled down the stairs.

“Bitty, use the railing!” You nearly panicked as Papyrus made a mad dash for the stairs again, “ _Stars!_ ”

You darted after him and managed to catch him by the scruff of his shirt before he finished his tumble.

With that sudden distraction, and the certainty that Gaster was using this to avoid you, you hadn’t had a chance to even think of talking to him, except for during the long hours of the night after the house was already asleep.

Like tonight.

You twisted in your bed and kicked your blanket away in silent frustration. Ugh. Just… _men_. You weren’t sure if you were annoyed more at Gaster’s usual avoidance tactics or yourself for getting your hopes up. Both options seemed equally appealing in the darkness of your room.

Two nights of fitful sleep and tonight promised to be a third. You wondered how long you could do this to yourself before you just exploded on Gaster, with or without the children in the room. You sighed and flipped over again, and covered yourself up to your chin in your blanket.

Nope. This wasn’t working.

You threw the blanket off of you and threw your legs over the edge. If you stayed in bed any longer, you’d go stir crazy. A part of you wondered if this was mostly just leftover from the strange sleep cycle you and the boys had gotten into, thanks to Sunday, but you didn’t really care at this point. Right now, you wanted tea, or milk, or… _anything_ really. Just something else to focus on.

The house was quiet and dark, something that seemed to soothe your upset feelings. Peaceful, was a good word. The boys and their father were obviously asleep upstairs, which at least gave you the knowledge that right now, they were safe.

You sighed and flipped on the kitchen light. Safe, but not completely whole, you thought sadly.

Sans’s nightmares were worse now. Three times in the past two nights, he had woken up screaming. Two of those times, he’d flinched when you were the one to touch him first. It broke your heart, but only for the fact that the child seemed unable to cope with his new growing fear of humans. It seemed inevitable that fear would encompass you too, in the dark hours of the morning after he’d just woken from a nightmare or night terror.

The stove quickly heated up the kettle and you had to refocus to swipe it from the burner before it could start to whistle harshly at you. You debated on if you should stay in the kitchen or move toward the living room, but deciding you were less likely to disturb anyone--and you’d have quicker access to the stairs if one of the boys started having a nightmare--kept you in the kitchen. You sat at the table with your tea but for a long time, all you could do was hold onto the hot ceramic and ignore the way it burned against your palms.

You had hoped it would ground you, but even the slight pain couldn’t tear your focus from the shifting amber liquid of the tea and the thoughts that seemed to swirl with the liquid.

Just what could you do now? More than likely, you’d have to figure out a way to convince Gaster that Sans needed to see a therapist. Really, you had no idea how easy or difficult that talk would be, considering he didn’t even want to be in the same room as you alone anymore. More than that, Sans might not be willing to open up to a stranger, no matter how much it would help. He barely opened up with you anymore, and you had a sinking suspicion that he didn’t even open up with Gaster at all.

Not that Gaster likely was keen on seeking the boy out for the harder, more emotional part of having children. Man, you were coming to a point where you’d have to say something, but just how much was your place and how much was from your fierce love for the boys?

You supposed that part didn’t really matter in the end. You were going to say something; now it was just a matter of when and how.

“Ms. Emmerson?”

You jolted hard enough that your tea spilled over your hands--luckily, you had been zoned out long enough that it was more mildly annoying, rather than scalding. Your eyes darted up to see Gaster; he stood in the archway near the bottom of the stairs, but stared at you with mild concern on his face as you reached over toward the kitchen counter for paper towels.

“One step forward, two steps back, huh?” You asked absently as you wiped your hands first and then the dining table of your mess.

“I...beg your pardon?” Gaster stepped hesitantly into the kitchen.

“You’re back to calling me by my last name,” You said easily before you made a motion toward the kitchen, “Want some tea?”

He didn’t answer your question, but instead he walked toward the kettle and set it back onto the oven to boil the water again, “...It wasn’t entirely professional of me-”

“I’d like to think we’re a little past ‘professionalism’,” You quipped as you sank back into your place at the table.

“Yes,” Gaster hesitated again, “Yes, I suppose we are.”

Silence fell between you, with nothing to break it except the sound of water beginning to boil in a kettle. Your fingers slowly traced the edges of your mug and collected the remnants of it that still clung to the edges before you finally brought it to your lips and took a sip. It was still warm and you sighed quietly as you felt your nerves slowly begin to unknit themselves in your chest.

When Gaster sank into his chair across from you, you at least felt a little better about opening your mouth.

“Gaster, we should talk about some things,” You said quietly, “And...not _only_ about us, but we shouldn’t keep skirting that topic, either.”

The way Gaster stiffened in his chair had you fighting the urge to roll your eyes. _Men_. Or maybe, more accurately, _Gaster_.

“Well, I’ll take it as a hopeful sign that you simply didn’t teleport away,” You said dryly.

Gaster had at least enough shame to duck his head like he had been admonished, “I...apologize; these last few days have been nearly overwhelming--with the lab, the boys, the protesters…”

You nodded, “I didn’t want to push, but we can’t leave things as they are--limbo’s not a fun place to hang out when your feelings are on the line.”

Another silence overtook the two of you as you both drank your tea and gathered your thoughts together. It wasn’t an uncomfortable silence, but it was full of unsaid words and feelings; a glance toward Gaster let you know he could feel it too.

“Could we, perhaps,” Gaster was he one to break the silence, “I...wonder if we couldn’t talk about our situation last? To give me more time to think things through.”

The request made the corner of your mouth twitch upward, “Gaster, as long as you promise to actually follow through with talking with me, we can even put it off another day or two if you need it; I’m not here to pressure you or anything.”

The relief that flooded Gaster was physically apparent: his shoulders relaxed and he seemed to breathe a little easier. You almost felt bad, except that he all but confirmed that he was avoiding you because of his own confusion.

“So what else do we have to discuss?” Gaster sipped his tea and watched you.

“Sans, for one,” You answered, “He’s not coping well, and I’m starting to worry.”

“You said you would support him,” Gaster didn’t accuse, but he did raise an eyebrow.

“I’m not a psychologist, Gaster,” You shook your head, “Sans might be developing anxiety or PTSD--we can’t just ignore his nightmares, or how he’s obviously starting to become scared of me.”

Instead of arguing, Gaster hummed quietly--an action that you knew meant he was taking a moment to think. You stirred your tea slowly with your finger as you waited for him to finish. The night was still relatively young, all things considered and you weren’t close to sleepy yet.

“I will inquire at my lab in the morning,” Gaster finally said slowly, “Dr. Inker or Professor Bentley might be able to help.”

You nodded slowly, “You might also try talking to Sans directly.”

Gaster’s eyes snapped to yours, but you ignored him in favor of staring down into your tea, which you continued to stir slowly.

“Are you implying something, Ms-er...Zelda?” Gaster’s correction took a lot of the bite he had meant to throw at you and you found yourself smiling absently.

“Nothing more than what I’ve already said: you and your son should open up to each other more,” You shrugged and finally finished your tea, “Sans needs you, Gaster. He needs you now more than he ever will as he grows up and all this avoidance from the both of you will do a lot of harm to him, more than I think you realize.”

Despite how defensive Gaster looked, you were at least pleased he hadn’t shut you out yet, “I never expected it to be so difficult to manage: children and everything else.”

“No one ever does,” You shrugged, “Children aren’t just a mindless, empty addition to your life. They’re small, tiny beings who are new people, learning what it means to be alive, what it means to be their own person. It was never going to be easy, but hopefully you will always see it as worth it.”

The echo of his own words made Gaster pause and watch as you gently traced the lip of the mug in your hands. A strong fondness washed over his soul that burned with new intentions, thoughts and feelings. He wasn’t even sure how to begin to sort through them and logic was useless in all aspects of this talk he was having with you.

“What would you suggest?” Gaster forced the feelings away long enough to ask.

“Suggest?” Your eyes finally raised to meet his, “For what?”

“For things concerning Sans,” Gaster replied patiently.

“Hmm…” Your gaze drifted away as you glanced over the kitchen, “You could take him to the park, or maybe I could take Papyrus, so you and Sans have some uninterrupted alone time. Children always talk about things easier when they’re playing--it’s a tip I picked up from a child psychologist.”

“Do you really think he would simply open up if I ask ‘How are you feeling’?” Gaster raised a brow bone and you shrugged in response.

“You’ll never know until you ask, Gaster,” You said, “You might not get anything out of him the first time you ask--hell, if Sans is even a tenth as stubborn as you are, it’ll probably take a few tries on a few different days before he finally feels comfortable enough to open up. Sometimes the point is just to prove that you’re going to _be_ there for him, until he’s ready.”

Gaster hummed again, but he was speaking before he could think for long, “Your observations are certainly correct. Sans is nearly identical to me in many, many ways.”

You smiled, “Well, he does have a leg up on you in one respect.”

“What is that?” Gaster looked confused and curious.

“He’s cuter than you are,” You giggled and your eyes sparkled with teasing mischief.

After a beat of silence before Gaster suddenly broke down in his own quiet chuckles, “Then there is hope for him yet.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, here's a chapter about the fallout of the attack--we'll see how our semi-adults handle things!!
> 
> Comments are always appreciated, and please follow my tumblr: [PurpleFictionMom.tumblr.com](http://purplefictionmom.tumblr.com/) My asks and messages are always open!


	20. Chapter 20

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> New chapter is up for [Side-Tales of the Skele-Nanny!](https://archiveofourown.org/works/16169789/chapters/38476769)

For the first time in months, Gaster came home on time for dinner. You weren’t sure how he was coping with being up as late as you were the night before--in fact, you weren’t sure how _you_ were coping with it either, especially since the fact that Gaster had indeed needed more time to deal with his own feelings had left you nearly sleepless in your own room--but he seemed to be more himself today than the last three days combined.

The dark cloud over Sans seemed to almost disappear as Gaster walked into the kitchen, “dad, you’re back early!”

Gaster smiled down at Sans affectionately, “There was something very important I needed to do here at home.”

You could practically see Sans assume the worst as his shoulders sagged and his head bowed, “oh…?”

If Gaster wouldn’t have said something you think your heart would have shattered for the child right there, “Yes; today, I wanted to spend some time with my oldest son.”

You had your own mini heart attack as Sans launched himself upward and lept from the chair and up into Gaster’s quick embrace. Even though Sans was quite the laid-back child (and often needed playful encouragement multiple times in doing anything), his bursts of energy were never anything short of joyous. There was always a glimpse of something that vaguely reminded you of Papyrus in those bursts of energy--so while the boys didn’t really resemble each other (minus the fact that they were skeletons, of course), they were almost immediately recognizable as brothers. At least, to you they were.

“seriously? what are we gonna do? can i show you the model of the solar system i built for school?” Sans was talking faster than he had in a long time and it made you grin as you finished the last touches of dinner.

“After dinner, we can do just what you want, Sans,” Gaster chuckled as he carefully deposited Sans back in his chair and then sat in his own.

“I think I’m going to take Papyrus on a walk through the neighborhood,” You commented lightly as you served plates.

Sans was still going over possible activities (which made you smile), but Gaster’s hand was suddenly holding yours. You would have jumped, except for how your eyes caught his just at that moment and the world fell away.

“Do be careful,” Gaster said quietly, as if the words were meant for you alone--and maybe they were; he obviously didn’t want to worry the boys, but this felt...different. There was a gravel to his voice as it resonated in his chest and his eye lights were wide and focused on yours with intent.

“I’ll keep Papyrus safe,” You replied, your own voice matching Gaster’s for volume, but you wondered if you could ever match the raw heavy heat.

A smirk quirked at the corner of his lips as he added, “I also worry about you.”

Logically, you knew that your body needed oxygen; conscious thought was telling you that the lungs in your chest needed to move in order to keep your brain functioning healthily and to keep it alive, but for the moment after he said those words, your breath could do nothing more than catch in your throat.

Maybe if you weren’t so taken with him, or so distracted with his eyes and voice, you might have been offended at the idea that he thought you weren’t capable. Except, that wasn’t what he was saying, was it? He was worried for you, the same way he was worried about Papyrus. All you could think about after that--even as you gave him an agreeing nod and sat down with your own food, even as you helped Papyrus and absently listened to Sans chatter on and on--was the moment from a few days ago when Gaster had referred to you as family.

You had no idea if it was lucky or not that Papyrus was the only skeleton at the table to notice how hot your cheeks suddenly were.

~*~

“-and i used marker on the cotton so that i could make venus cloudy and green,” Sans chatted away as he spun the model on the dining room table. It was really a work of art, on top of being a small mechanical marvel.

“How did you calibrate the correct rotational speeds?” Gaster absently spun the model more, and watched as Mercury flew around the sun, while Pluto barely moved.

“zeezee helped me look up some stuff on her laptop,” Sans shrugged, “i wanted it to be accurate--it was hard to fit it all in the base though; it’s all kinda small.”

“Amazing work, Sans,” Gaster hummed and ran an affectionate hand over Sans’s skull, “I’m sorry to have missed this project.”

Sans, who had his eyes closed in quiet pleasure from the affection and praise, opened his eyes only to turn them away quickly. Avoidance; Gaster caught it immediately, even as Sans answered.

“i know you’re busy,” Sans’s voice was much quieter, “you got a lotta work to do.”

If the conversation with you last night wouldn’t have prepared him--if he wouldn’t have been open to your advice, he reminded himself--Gaster might have taken Sans’s automatic answer as a genuine one. Now, with the careful observation he was known for, Gaster could see the blatant way Sans seemed unable to actually say anything more than that--as if he had already run out of a script.

Given a few more years and none of your intervention, Gaster was sure Sans would be as adept and ready to avoid all issues as well as Gaster himself was. All it took was time and practice; a willingness to rehearse the same canned lines of avoidance that he had learned over his long years of life. Gaster’s soul _ached_ at the realization that he was teaching those same failures to Sans. The failures of avoiding true connections with others for the sake of a ‘safe’ set of relationships. A part of him--a deep, core piece of himself--hoped it wasn’t too late to undo this.

“Sans,” Gaster said carefully, “You are allowed to be upset with me; I make mistakes, the same way others do.”

The child jumped, actually jumped, at this admission and stared up at Gaster with wide, unbelieving eyes, “nuh-uh, you’re too smart to make mistakes.”

It was a glowing compliment, but Gaster took it with a grain of salt--if only his children could always see him as the infallible hero and if only he could keep himself from making the mistakes that would hurt them. He would try; of course he would try, but he was a realist from the word go and that meant he had to accept the same reality as Sans: he would fail, likely more often than not.

“Do you remember the day I forgot to meet you, Papyrus and Zelda for lunch? The day you went to the Aquarium,” Gaster watched Sans’s eye lights disappear as the bad memory resurfaced.

“yeah…” Sans muttered and rested his chin on the table, all but shutting down.

“That was a mistake; I know I have apologized, but I haven’t changed many behaviors, have I?” Gaster hummed again and reached out to touch Sans’s hand. The boy gripped his middle finger, the way he always had. Ever since he was an infant, it had been the same grip on the same finger and it offered both of them comfort.

“you come home late a lot,” Sans muttered against the surface of the table.

“Yes, I do,” Gaster replied quietly, “I wish I could say that my actions will change, but I do not know what will happen now that there are humans-”

He hesitated to say more, but Sans caught it anyway.

“are they gonna hurt someone?” Sans sat up and fixed Gaster with a hard stare; if Sans had been older, a teenager perhaps, Gaster might have answered it truthfully. It was often hard to remember that his son was barely 6, but it was glaringly obvious now.

“I’m doing everything I can to make sure no one is hurt,” Gaster answered, “Are you afraid, Sans?”

“...” Sans looked away and clammed up, suddenly.

Gaster sighed silently--this is what you meant, right? The unwillingness to share because of the relationship he himself had fostered between them? So what does he say here? Does he push? What would _you_ say?

“Sans…” Gaster watched Sans wince before the child looked back up at him, “It’s alright to be afraid. There’s nothing wrong with feeling things; but we do not have to talk about it today, if you do not want. I am here to listen, and I will do my best to listen and be here for you, okay?”

It felt stilted and rehearsed coming from his own mouth--how did you make it sound so natural and warm?--but watching the tight fear on Sans’s face fade away made every word worth it.

“...thanks, dad,” Sans whispered before his grip tightened on Gaster’s middle finger.

“You’re quite welcome, babybones,” Gaster answered and then chuckled when Sans whined wordlessly at the nickname, “Zelda uses it all the time, why complain when I use it?”

“well, yeah, but zeezee is, like…” Sans shrugged and Gaster quirked a brow bone when he noticed the light dusting of blue over Sans’s cheeks.

“Zelda is like what?” Gaster gently encouraged.

“uh...you...won’t get mad or sad?” Sans let go of Gaster’s hand so that he could nervously play with the hem of his shorts.

“I’m sure what you could say would not upset me like that, Sans,” Gaster reassured.

“well, zeezee is like...well, like a mom,” Sans looked away, “so, uh...it just feels...good? like she really cares about me and paps.”

Gaster couldn’t answer at first. On top of every other feeling he had for you, one of the most confusing was his feelings about you with his children. The boys had never known a mother; the closest anyone had ever come to filling that role was Toriel, and it was simply because of her nature. Neither boy had ever had the urge to find a strong bond with a maternal figure in their lives, but reacted to you as if you had always been there. Sans in particular (since Papyrus was an infant and likely wouldn’t remember the difference as he grew) had grown close to you far quicker than Gaster thought was possible.

His first instinct was to simply assume it was normal for live-in nannies to be so close to their charges, but he had his chances to speak to Clarice and to her two children. None of them gave much thought to you now that they had their lives to run. Clarice spoke of you candidly, expressing how good of a listener you were, but also how professional you had always been. There were more than a few instances that Gaster could recall vividly that were closer to that of a surrogate mother, not a professional nanny.

And that wasn’t even including the impromptu make-out session he shared with you on Sunday evening.

“dad?” Sans seemed a little more emboldened by Gaster’s silence as he looked up to watch Gaster with curious eyes, “is zeezee going to stay forever?”

“I…” Gaster’s mouth moved before he could stop himself and he realized exactly what he wanted to say, “I hope so.”

He couldn’t even lie to himself and say he only wanted you to stay for the children. A deep part of him wanted you to stay for him, as well.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so not much reader in this chapter, BUT SANS IS TOO CUTE OKAY??
> 
> Comments are always appreciated, and please follow my tumblr: [PurpleFictionMom.tumblr.com](http://purplefictionmom.tumblr.com/) My asks and messages are always open!


	21. Chapter 21

“Why are you hiding in here?”

Gaster jumped and nearly dropped stack of papers that he had been trying to focus on, but for every word his eyes glazed over, it set him back to the top of the page. So far, he’d restarted 127 times--well, 128 now.

“Inker,” Gaster felt like a child who had been caught with something he should never have touched; add to that, it was _Inker_ at his office door which meant this felt extremely like a distant Aunt who was too nosey for her own good, “I...wasn’t hiding.”

It didn’t take Inker’s narrowed eyes for Gaster to know he sounded like he was lying. He really had been hiding; he’d been hiding from others all day. There was just to much on Gaster’s mind and he’d already run into three colleagues, erased (and thankfully, recovered) 3 months worth of equation data on the shared server he had access to over the computer on his desk, he’d mistakenly called another colleague ‘Zelda’ and now he was simply trying to make it to the end of his shift so he could recover his dignity over the weekend.

“Wing Dings Gaster, that was the poorest excuse for a lie I’ve heard since you tried to tell me that slipshod story about where Sans came from,” Inker called him out, blunt as ever, but Gaster still winced, “Now be honest, or we’re going to be here half the night.”

As if to prove her point, Inker hopped her way up onto his desk, ignoring the way that papers and folders slipped onto the ground. Gaster winced at that and slowly knelt to pick up the papers.

“I...have just simply been distracted,” Gaster tried to give the vaguest answer possible. He cursed and ducked away from Inker when her small fist connected with the top of his skull.

“I will kick your boney ass,” Inker said bluntly, “If I wanted you to state the obvious or lie to me, I’d keep asking about that human who’s working for you.”

There was a beat of silence before Inker connected the dots and then started cackling.

“Oh just go back to work; don’t you have a machine to calibrate?” Gaster grunted and felt his eyebrows come together in frustration while his hands kept picking up papers and folders.

Inker ignored him completely and continued to chortle as she asked, “Just what has you all hung up about this human now? Those pretty eyes? How about her complete refusal to put up with your shit? Oh! Oh please tell me it’s something to do with some human custom you can’t wrap your head around…”

The bat monster was practically wheezing by the end of it and it was only because Gaster was kneeling on the floor that he could clearly see her face as she bent over and held her knees while she laughed.

“I fail to see what is so entertaining,” Gaster grumbled.

“Other than your complete blind affection?” Inker sat unceremoniously on a stack of paperwork and started digging in one of her fanny-packs that she wore around her waist, “Or maybe you’re not so blind now, eh? Maybe that’s what’s got you all tied up tighter than a virgin in love.”

Gaster felt the purple blush dust his cheeks, but he just let out a frustrated sigh, “Just because we’re in the privacy of my office, I could still remind you I’m your boss and this is an inappropriate discussion for the workplace.”

Inker laughed again, “You could remind me, but you know I’d ignore it, babybones. You’re about ten centuries too young to be taking any tone like that with me.”

“Alright, then why are you so intent on pushing me that far?” Gaster almost hoped he could direct the conversation away from himself, but he’d have to tread carefully for it to work-

“Nah, not going that way, now answer my question,” Inker finally pulled a small, sweet-smelling fruit from her pack and began munching on it, “What about the human has you so out of focus? I haven’t seen you like this since you first brought Papyrus home.”

Inker was often too smart for her own good, but Gaster should have known better than to hope he could catch her off her own game. Inker was at least 700 years older than any other living monster that Gaster had ever met, and that included Gerson--who many considered the wisest, if not the oldest. It left her blunt, curious and without the social norms that constructed conversations of the normal variety.

She was also the only monster who could put Gaster so out of his comfort zone that it often pushed him to think further outside the box, work harder, and just be more than he thought he could. He respected her immensely, even if half of her time was spent nosing into places he’d rather she didn’t.

Still, there was nothing for it, unless he wanted to leave work early--except he really couldn’t. The protestors were becoming more than a nuisance since they had started to suspect that someone in the facility could teleport and that was why they never saw Gaster himself outside.

More than once, it was suggested that he start driving a car to work, but Gaster refused to cow to the whims of a few scared humans. Even if the terrorist attack had scared him to his core, he couldn’t ignore the rigid backbone in his soul that refused to cower. He’d persevere through this and he’d help others face the gale, as well.

“I...am having some confusing thoughts and feelings about Zelda,” Gaster finally admitted; he set the papers he collected back on the desk before he circled it and sat in his office chair, “It’s maddening.”

Inker held him with her gaze as she slowly chewed through her bite of fruit, “...You and I need to talk candidly more often: when did she become ‘Zelda’?”

Gaster grunted and rolled his eyes; leave it to Inker.

“About a week ago,” Gaster filled in briefly.

“Confusing thoughts and feelings, huh?” Inker smirked, and then added (with a tone that one would usually reserve for teasing a horny teenager), “Can’t keep your soul in your chest, eh?”

Gaster pinched the bone at the ridge of where his nose hole was, “Alright, consider me chastised; I’ll return to laboratory and finish my work among my colleagues.”

Inker snorted and laughed before she popped the rest of the fruit into her mouth, “So you have feelings for her; you’re making this into a mountain--leave it as a molehill, yeah?”

“How is this a molehill?” Gaster narrowed his eyes, “I’ve fallen for a human; specifically the human who is my employee and who watches my children.”

“Fallen for her, eh?” Inker laughed when Gaster glared at her before she refocused, “Still a molehill; just tell her how you feel, renegotiate the contract you have with her or get rid of it depending on how the talk goes, and move on from there.”

“And just what am I supposed to tell her in terms of Sans and Papyrus?” Gaster raised a brow bone, genuinely curious.

Inker hesitated for a moment before she turned to hold Gaster with one of her eyes--it was the most focused Gaster had ever seen the old bat. Normally, her sight tended to drift off to one side or over his head--a side-effect of her poor eyesight and the fact that she refused to wear anything more than reading glasses rather than her proper prescription glasses. Now, she was trained directly on him.

“Well, do you trust her? Not much point likin’ or loving her if you don’t trust her.”

It was so profound and so obvious, that Gaster nearly scoffed at Inker when the words left her mouth. Except, the connotation of it--the _weight_ of it--drew his mouth down into a frown. The question of trust was something so unspoken, he hadn’t really thought of it. Yes, he trusted you to watch his children, he trusted you to keep them safe; after the attack at Tillby’s, he had complete faith that you would put your own safety away in favor of keeping the children safe. It was both encouraging and maddening.

He worried for you as much as his children, but did he trust you enough to reveal their origins? Even among monsterkind, Sans and Papyrus were a bit of a peculiarity. Most monsters simply didn’t ask, but those who had--namely, those who needed to--had been horrified at what Gaster revealed.

The procedure had made perfect sense to Gaster, both times he had performed it. That didn’t mean it was something easily explained, or even accepted.

How much did Gaster trust you?

“Whatever you choose to do about Sans and Papyrus,” Inker waved her hand, “You don’t have to treat this like an end-all be-all relationship--consider it something to get you through the next few weeks or months.”

That put a lemon in Gaster’s stomach and he made a face, “Casual relationships don’t hold much appeal to me, Inker; I have little free time as it is.”

Inker snorted again, as if he’d missed her point and waved him away, “Alright, alright, stress yourself out, but the issue won’t keep. You’ll have to address it before you accidentally wipe our servers _permanently_.”

Gaster groaned silently and narrowed his eyes, “Get out of my office, Inker.”

This time, Inker left without hurrying, leaving a wheezing giggle in her wake. Gaster really had no idea if the talk with the older monster helped or hindered his plans to address his infatuation with you.

~*~

“nah, i’m comin back to school on monday,” Sans leaned forward so his elbows were resting on the table.

“You’d BETTER, punk! We missed you ALL WEEK!” Undyne’s voice was loud enough to make your laptop speakers pop and you reached over to turn her down a little more.

It was a happy accident that you remembered you had access to the usually silent discord server that a few of the parents of Ms. Verona’s class had put together to try and keep everyone in the loop of news and set up playdates. Now that you were connected, Undyne and Alphys’s parents had wasted no time in messaging you to say their children wanted to speak with Sans, which you were happy to set up.

“Undyne! Inside voice, please!” You heard a heavy growl behind Undyne, but the girl just growled back. You found yourself smiling at this regular occurance.

“W-w-we sh-should h-have a sl-sleep over soon!” Alphys suddenly squeaked and you saw an arm pat her back from off-screen.

“that would be cool, but i gotta ask my dad,” Sans glanced up at you and you nodded.

“I’ll ask Gaster--we can even have it here,” You offered over the call.

Alphys’s mother--a beautiful dragon-type monster with golden scales and purple eyes--leaned into frame as she spoke, “Or we could have it here, if Dr. Gaster is uncomfortable with the idea.”

Undyne’s father stayed out of frame, but his voice was loud enough to negate his need to get closer to his computer’s microphone, “Undyne can join when she gets her math scores up!”

“GRAH! DAD! MATH IS HARD!” Undyne threw herself back in her chair and somehow managed a pathetic whine between her loud yells.

“me ‘n alph can help ya, ‘dyne,” Sans chuckled, “‘less you want some one on one tutoring with aalllllphyyyyssss.”

Alphys actually squeaked and ducked away from the camera, but not before you saw her yellow scales start to darken in a blush. Undyne actually leapt for the camera and there was a struggle as the other parents laughed. You couldn’t stop the small smile on the corners of your mouth, but you still reached over and pressed mute on the microphone.

“Sans, don’t tease,” You reprimanded lightly, “Poor Alphys is going to have a stroke or something.”

“awww, fine…” You couldn’t say Sans looked too disappointed as you turned the microphone back on.

“sorry, alph,” Sans said dutifully before he moved on, “we can still help undyne, though; i wanna show you guys the pool in my backyard! zeezee got it for me ‘n pap!”

You shook your head and the children chattered on as if nothing had happened. Children didn’t even seem to hold on to any bad from the world and if you didn’t know any better, you might have thought Sans was finally getting over his own issues concerning it. You doubted it would be that easy, but there was a little hope.

After their talk last night, Sans had slept through the night without a nightmare; Gaster had been thrilled and eager to make a weekly commitment to spending a little time with Sans and you were quick to remind him to keep small goals.

“ _Sans won’t appreciate the intent behind your actions if you keep breaking promises_ ,” You gently said and Gaster had been amazingly receptive.

It was often hard to offer advice to the monster because he certainly had his pride. He didn’t like to hear he had done wrong, or made a mistake. You were just glad he was being open right now. Hopefully, the trend would continue, but you needed to be prepared if it suddenly stopped, or he retreated again.

You tuned back into the conversation that was going on just as Alphys and Undyne were both saying goodbye to Sans.

“MONDAY!” Undyne threw both her fists into the air, “I am gonna KICK. MATH’S. A-”

“UNDYNE!”

Their end of the call ended abruptly; Alphys and Sans both laughed like this was usual and you were glancing down at Sans questioningly. Sans didn’t even look up at you as Alphys said goodbye and hung up her end of the call.

“Sans, you don’t curse at school, do you?” You asked as you reached over and disconnected discord completely.

“heh, nah; undyne’s just trying to rile up her old man,” Sans leaned back in his chair and looked up at you, “‘sides, i think they sound weird.”

You snorted and nodded, “Yeah...they do sound kind of weird, huh?”

“WANNA MATH!” Papyrus suddenly piped up from his place in your lap; he had been content to listen to all the talking going on with minimal interruptions--you had a feeling he was going to be a very sociable kid when he started school--but now he was back to talking, “WANNA GO SCHOOL WID SANS!”

You cooed at his slurred words; he had been jumping leaps and bounds now that he was talking real words and quickly, you were realizing his babytalk was falling into the past for good. You already missed it, but you were so excited to start having real conversations with him.

“You’ll go to school when you’re 5,” You answered him, “Until then, you have to keep my company here at home, or I’ll be so lonely!”

Your small gambit paid off as he turned in your lap and hugged you, “NO LONELY! PAPY STAY!”

Sans and you both giggled at his declaration. At least things were looking up--this week had been a rollercoaster and you started it with a feeling that you were waiting on something. Now, you felt more at ease and realized you felt tired enough that you might actually have a good time sleeping tonight.

At least this storm had passed. No matter what came next, you were sure you could handle it. At least….

You hoped you could.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Haven't had a chance to double check this chapter yet, so I hope there aren't too many mistakes! Inker makes another appearance because I love my grumpy bat grandma haha
> 
> Comments are always appreciated, and please follow my tumblr: [PurpleFictionMom.tumblr.com](http://purplefictionmom.tumblr.com/) My asks and messages are always open!


	22. Chapter 22

Even though Gaster had said Saturday would be the day he would sit with you for the talk he promised you, you heard nothing from him of the sort. The day passed quietly, with little done or said at all. The boys were still having trouble with nightmares--which meant that you and Gaster were up most nights--so when he disappeared into his room for the night, you tried to give him the benefit of the doubt.

He’s probably as exhausted as you felt. Maybe he hadn’t really had a chance on his own to think things over. He had told you he needed time and you wanted to give him that. You respected him too much not to.

So Sunday, you offered to take the boys out to the park and allow him a day to relax--no work, no children, just a day to himself. You didn’t think he was capable of relaxing, but he certainly looked like he could at least use the time to take a nap. And yes, you wanted him to think over his thoughts and feelings, but you would have given him a day like this regardless: you were starting to see dark coloring beneath his eyes that could only mean he was pushing too hard.

He wasn’t keen on the idea of it until you promised to go to the playground at the school. He knew there were other monsters there on a day like this, plus, the school had hired extra security since the attacks--that eased him enough to help you get both boys ready.

It was even a nice surprise to see that Gaster had prepared dinner by the time the three of you got back. He must have certainly taken a nap, with the dark bags under his eyes diminished and you felt relieved at that. You were so relieved that it didn’t even cross your mind that neither of you talked by the time you both disappeared into your rooms for the night.

But more days began to pass, with nothing said between you. Monday, he stayed so late at work that you didn’t even hear him come home before you were asleep for the night. Tuesday, he was practically glued to Papyrus--which was cute in and of itself, but he always seemed to be watching you out of the corner of his eye when you would pass through the room, or stop in to coo with Papyrus. Wednesday, you finally started to wise-up and it left a pit of rejection, anger and hurt in your stomach that made you feel sick.

He wasn’t going to talk to you. If you let him, he’d just let the two of you stay in this strange limbo of uncertainty and hope. There was really only one reason you could think someone would do that and it just hurt even more. Still, you wanted to give him the benefit of the doubt. All you needed to was ask him to talk. Maybe he was just waiting for a moment and was unsure?

So, Wednesday night, there was a little luck in that you were putting Papyrus to bed. When you stepped out--nearly at the exact time that Gaster stepped out of San’s room--you were standing between Gaster and his own bedroom. Not that you wanted to keep him out of it, but it would at least give you a moment to say something.

“Gaster,” You started quietly as soon as the boys’ doors were closed; his eyes found yours, “I think it’s time we sat and talked, don’t yo-”

His form actually melted (or maybe glitched?) before your eyes and the sudden snap of his bedroom door closing made you jump. You spun to look at the door--which had been ajar before--and your mouth dropped in surprise. He...just teleported away. The moment you had broached the subject, he ran.

_What the fuck?_

The sudden spike of pain in your chest caused your breathing to pick up; your lips trembled, so you pressed them together. Tears were already burning your eyes, so you closed them. Sobs were building in your chest, but you suppressed them.

Despite the fact that everything inside of you wanted to break down, you forced yourself to walk calmly down the hallway; you forced yourself to close your door slowly. You forced yourself to lay on your back, and stared at your ceiling from your bed.

The tears came then; you were just unable to keep them back any longer. They blurred your vision until they began to fall down the sides of your face. You were almost more mad at yourself than you were Gaster. Nearly thirty years old and you were sitting here crying over a guy like some sort of teenager. Granted, if he would have actually been willing to sit down and _talk like a fucking adult_...

A hiccup broke through your lips and the tears came quicker. Why did it even hurt so damn much? Why was this something that your head and heart were just determined to latch onto?

Well, you knew why.

Honestly, you had known the moment the two of you kissed. The warm feeling in your chest, the heavy longing in your stomach, the giddy fog in your mind...they all said one thing and one thing alone. You couldn’t even bring yourself to think it and felt foolish that you were bothering to let yourself get so close.

You should have known better. You should have known better and now you were paying for it. Now, you would have to somehow face tomorrow; somehow, not let the boys in on how destroyed you felt. Because you could never forgive yourself if you drew the boys into this. Could you even stuff all this pain back into your chest and act like nothing had happened?

You had to. It wasn’t fair to the boys; you needed to get a grip, even as you felt yourself tearing at the seams.

You had fucked up.

~*~

Gaster had fucked up.

One moment, you were gently encouraging him to talk to you and the next, he was suddenly hiding in his own bedroom and closing the door quickly against you. He wasn’t even sure what triggered his flight reaction, but he had ran.

_Like a coward._

Of course, he wasn’t entirely sure how badly he had messed up until the next morning, when he tentatively joined the three of you in the kitchen. The first glaring fact was that you didn’t greet him when he entered. More often than not, you didn’t even need to look up to notice he had entered a room--something he had never noticed before today, but couldn’t focus on in the slightest--but today, even when you turned to give Papyrus his own plate of food, your eyes didn’t even brush over him. For a moment, he wondered if he even existed at all, until Sans and Papyrus both greeted him in their own way.

You didn’t join them.

In fact, if it weren’t for the fact that you wouldn’t acknowledge him outside of the context of his children, he might have thought you were okay. Except, he could practically read it off of you with every avoided glance and polite reply.

He had royally screwed up.

“there’s a test today for math,” Sans was saying, but Gaster had a hard time keeping up with the subject, “if undyne gets a good grade on it, it’ll bring her grade up and we can plan the slumber party!”

You offered him a smile, “Well, we’ll see what her grade is, first; if she gets high enough, we can even plan it for next friday--if your father says yes.”

Gaster started--it was the first time you had referred to him since you sat down, “I-hmm?”

“if undyne’s math score goes up, can we have the slumber party here next friday?” Sans seemed oblivious to anything other than his current mindset; Gaster was actually relieved at this.

“I don’t see why not,” He glanced at you, but your eyes were fixed on Papyrus as you wiped his chin, “As long as her father approves of her attending, I do not mind.”

“yes!” Sans pumped one of his fists in the air before he hurried to eat his breakfast--as if finishing quicker could get him to school sooner so he could share this information with his friends.

Gaster decided he had to try something. He did have feelings for you, after all. Even if they were altogether new and strange. So, when he met you all at the door, and had said his goodbyes to the boys for the day, he gently touched your arm to keep you back for a moment. He winced when you tensed under his touch.

Your eyes finally looked up into his and he felt a chill from your stare alone, “If you could...you were right about last night--we should discuss-”

“I heard you loud and clear last night,” Your voice was even and almost sweet, but the steel under the velvet of your words was more than obvious to him, “Don’t worry--you won’t hear another word about it from me.”

And then you were gone. Out the door and down to the street with Sans and Papyrus in tow; he was so stunned, he could only stare after you. Then the annoyance and anger began to build in his ribcage. Even the fact that he was the one who screwed up didn’t stem the steadily rising burn of indignation and hot emotions that flared in his soul.

It was this mess of emotions that carried him through his workday; it was this mess of emotions that had him snapping at anyone dumb enough to linger too long in his presence.

“Trouble in paradise?”

Gaster had no desire to be taunted by Inker, but she had once again cornered him in his own office, “Not now, Inker.”

“Why not now? You’re supposedly on lunch break--the first I’ve ever heard you taking a lunch break, by the way; you’re freaking out half the staff with that one--and I just clocked out on mine,” Inker shrugged, looking too high above his head as she stared at him, “So, whazzall this, hmm? Did your nanny skip on you?”

“What? No,” Gaster leaned back in his chair and covered his eyes with one hand, and tried to ignore the fact that the hole in his hand left him still able to see Inker as she hopped up onto his desk. He grimaced at that (he was still finding files with her footprints from _last time_ ) but she was ignoring him thoroughly as she sat and started digging for food from her fanny packs, “We’re...there’s nothing wrong!”

“Uh-huh, sure,” Inker hummed as she pulled out a fruit that he couldn’t identify, “You’re just acting like a kicked puppy because...reasons, right?”

A growl rumbled in Gaster’s chest; he really didn’t want to do this with her right now, “Don’t you have another machine to break?”

“Ooh,” Inker winced, but the look passed before he could feel guilty for saying it, “You know, if I was one of your lower lab techs, I might have been scared off; now stop throwing a fit and spill.”

With that, any guilt he might have felt was out the window and he stood so he could begin to pace back and forth behind his desk. Inker’s eyes followed his path of righteous anger and energy until she felt tired for him.

“I screwed up,” Gaster finally gripped the back of his office chair and leaned on it hard enough to make the chair groan in protest, “And then she screwed up--or maybe I’m just angry at her reaction; I don’t know or care at this point.”

“Nah, you care,” Inker swallowed her fruit and pulled out an orange--the rich citrus hit his nose almost as soon as she started to peel it, “That’s why your here at work, acting like a kicked dog.”

Gaster turned an irate glare in her direction, but she was focused on the orange--she was carefully putting the peel back into her pack before she split the fruit and started to eat each piece whole.

“You’re not exactly helping,” He crossed his arms.

“Who said I was here to help?” Inker glanced up at him with a grin, “Gaster, I’ve retired from 4 different labs and 4 different science positions under the King--I’ve resigned myself to working until I Fall Down and become Dust. This is the most fun I get to have outside of that human holiday: Halloween.”

Gaster snorted but rolled his eyes, “Should have known...well, look at the time, lunch over already? Is for me, at least.”

Of course it wasn’t--he had only snapped he was going on lunch break to get away from being bothered by interns and techs for a few minutes so he could stew without interruption, but he was being interrupted here as well.

Might as well try to get something done today, even if he knew he wouldn’t.

He had managed to calm enough that dinner was at least a cordial event. Sans carried most of the conversation, aided by Papyrus.

“undyne got an 83! so can we call them and start planning? can we?” Sans looked between you and Gaster, unable to keep focus on one of you for more than a brief moment before his eyes were darting away.

“I’ll call their parents tomorrow, Sans, after school,” You smiled warmly down at the child, “And I am so proud of you for helping your friend with her math.”

A small blue blush dusted his cheeks, but he was still grinning, “couldn’t let her _flounder_.”

You snorted and Gaster felt more of his anger untwisting in his chest, and he couldn’t stop himself from rolling his eyes when you added, “Hey, that sounds a little _fishy_ coming from you.”

“NO! NO! BAD SANS, BAD ZEEZEE!” Papyrus whined from his chair and you giggled again.

“Sorry, bittybones,” You hummed and focused on your own plate of food. You still wouldn’t look at him.

His own patience was nothing compared to yours. Whereas you waited four days to finally say something to him, Gaster could barely wait until Papyrus was asleep before he was stepping out into the hallway and ready to wait until you came out of Sans’s room.

He didn’t have to wait too long, but you took one look at him and immediately turned to try and duck into your room without a sound.

“Zelda-” Your door closed in his face, and he saw it shake in a way that made him think you were leaning against the wood heavily. He huffed quietly and turned his body so he could lean one shoulder against the door jamb, “Zelda, we cannot keep this up for very long.”

“ _Goodnight_ , Gaster,” You said firmly through the wood. This left Gaster rolling his eyes. This whole family certainly fit the same mold, if nothing else: stubborn, everyone in their own ways.

Gaster glanced back down the hallway--he really didn’t want to do this through your door, and he certainly didn’t want to wake the boys by raising his voice any more…His mind flowed through possibilities quickly and dismissed them just as fast. Finally, he settled on one as your light turned off and he heard the springs of your bed shift with your weight.

He silently walked down the stairs and turned the corner so he could slip into his office. A glance was spared to the ceiling as he pictured how you had set up your room. A desk against the wall with your full sized bed, right about…..here.

One of his ethereal hands appeared and a blue light began to glow in the open center of its palm. Just before he activated his magic fully, he held both of his arms out and then opened a rift beneath you.

You had been staring at your ceiling, moping. Of _course_ he walked away. You shut the door in his face, now stop getting angry over what he would see as a logical choice-

The sudden short fall didn’t allow for much more than a deep gasp to leave your throat, but you managed to choke the scream back into your chest as you landed solidly. It was a moment before you realized just where you were, but it didn’t exactly help you with what actually happened.

You were now in Gaster’s office, just below your bedroom; more than that, you had landed in Gaster’s arms. One of his arms was tucked against your back while the other cradled your legs just beneath your knees. It was jolting enough that the only thing that could bring you any sort of explanation was the smug smirk that was now on his face.

“You _teleported me_ out of my bedroom??” You hissed the words, but Gaster noticed that you didn’t struggle to leave his hold.

“I hardly thought it prudent to converse through your door, while the boys were asleep,” Gaster said it like it was the most obvious thing, “And perhaps I did not want to make the mistake of putting this off again.”

Your eyebrows came together and you crossed your arms, “Put me down, Gaster.”

“Will you speak with me?”

There was a brief silence that overtook the room, but even without your answer, Gaster slowly lowered you to the floor. He made sure you found your balance before he stepped back, giving you a respectable space as he tilted his head down toward you. Any other day, you could imagine him looking down his nose at you, but today he looked...uncomfortable? Apprehensive?

Something about the unsure look on his face made you sigh and nod your head, “Alright, we can talk.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Soooo....I _may_ have been planning this scene since the beginning and it was very important to me to make sure you all knew (like, in chapter 3 or 4? I'd have to check haha) that Zeezee's room is over Gaster's office, hahaha
> 
> Comments are always appreciated, and please follow my tumblr: [PurpleFictionMom.tumblr.com](http://purplefictionmom.tumblr.com/) My asks and messages are always open!


	23. Chapter 23

Even with the promise that you would talk with Gaster, you found annoyance starting to build in your stomach as he walked from the room and was gone for a long few minutes. The only thing that let you know he hadn’t walked up the stairs was the noises you heard from the kitchen. A part of you wondered if you should follow him, but you weren’t keen on leaving his office just yet.

When Gaster returned, he had two cups of tea and one of his ghostly hands was carrying an extra chair. It was strange, but not wholly outside of Gaster’s personality. While he usually allowed you to do what you felt was part of your job--which included handling meals and generally running the household, he noticed--but anytime there were guests (though these were few and far between), he was at the head of being cordial and welcoming.

When you mentioned it in passing, Gaster had chuckled and said simply, “ _Toriel would tear me apart if I wasn’t on my best behaviour for guests._ ”

It was funny at the time, but now you couldn’t stop yourself from feeling a little separated. It was more your feeling, rather than reality--it was weird to have Gaster dote on you in a way that wasn’t somehow connected with his children.

Well, that wasn’t entirely true.

Long nights spent discussing work or favorite topics of conversation; a phone full of texts that only centered around his children half the time; recommendations for books on topics that he thought you’d enjoy or find stimulating.

They weren’t doting in terms of classic romantic tropes that you might read about in romance stories, but they were so wholly _Gaster_ , and so centered on his interest in you that all you could do was bask in the hurt of how he avoided you so easily. How he ran when confronted.

It was why you spoke first once you both were sitting in the silence of his office and warm tea.

“Gaster, what the hell?” You breathed the words over the honey-colored liquid, not able to look up at him just yet.

“I understand you might be upset-”

“‘Upset’ is slightly belittling,” You muttered into your cup.

Gaster paused and watched you for a moment. Without realizing it, he had settled back into a professionalism that had previously always carried him through tough situations like these. Situations where he hated the waters to be muddled and what was more muddying than such complex emotions?

He lifted a hand and rubbed his forehead for a moment, then his hand fell to tug at his sleeve, “I’m...unsure of a better word.”

“Hurt?” You finally looked up at him, “Angry, frustrated, and feeling utterly _ridiculous_ that I didn’t see the possibility that you would _run_ from this, even though you’ve done the same thing to Sans since I’ve known you!”

The words were quiet, but bitter and scalded Gaster enough to rekindle some of the anger from earlier that day, “This isn’t some fantasy where things are clear cut and easy; going over everything in my mind kept leading me to dead-ends and _you_ certainly weren’t helping matters.”

“Me?” You raised an eyebrow, “What does that even mean?”

“Do you often make it a habit of kissing your employers?”

The question wasn’t envenomated, but it still felt like a slap across your face; you set your mug down roughly on the desk, “ _Excuse_ me!?”

It was the wrong thing to say, and Gaster knew it, but the heat of anger in his ribcage lashed out again, “It’s a simple question, though perhaps it's connotations went over your head.”

Gaster wasn’t often annoyed or angry--in fact, he tended to keep those kinds of emotions out of the house for the sake of his sons, but you had been bitten by it before. Often when he was half-asleep, or when his guard was down and you surprised him. It was never okay, and he was usually quick to apologize (though, often, he needed to be told he had done the faux pas in the first place), but before tonight, it had never _hurt_ so bad.

“The _connotations_ aren’t the issue,” You hissed and narrowed your eyes, “And if you want to sit there and ask such questions, then fine--no! I’ve never kissed an employer before; I’ve never had feelings for an employer before. This is more than new territory for me: it’s a place I’d never thought I’d be, period!”

It was probably your honest answer that helped him keep from snapping again, but it was a near thing and he hated himself for it, “Then you should understand that this isn’t just some simple girlish fantasy where I couldn’t afford to think things through.”

“You are the _dumbest_ person I’ve ever met,” You glared at him before you stood from your chair and swiped the mug of tea. The only thing that kept your steps from echoing through the house was your bare feet on the carpet and then tile.

Gaster, of course, took offense at your words.

“And just what does that mean!?” He followed you into the kitchen and watched you dump your mug into the sink; he also tried to keep his voice even, more for the sake that there were no walls to keep his voice from carrying upstairs.

“It’s a pretty self explanatory statement, unless the connotations went over your head,” You dropped the mug a little louder than you meant to and spun in place so you could stare up at him, your hands on your hips.

“I simply don’t know why I bothered,” He felt his teeth grind together, “This is certainly getting us nowhere.”

“You say that as if it’s my fault,” You snapped.

Gaster pressed on, “You’re just a simple human! Nothing about you should have been extraordinary enough to even cause this!”

Hurt crossed your face and he closed his mouth with click of his teeth, but before he could try to apologize, you were talking again--or, really, you were only a step away from yelling.

“You-Your so stupid!” You eyes burned and Gaster flinched at the sight of tears, but they didn’t fall yet, “After everything, I should have known it would have turned out this way! I shouldn’t have gotten so involved! I shouldn’t have loved all three of you so much! I should have known it would turn out this way, because to everyone else, it’s just a job! I’m just the dumb nanny, no need to spare a thought about me!”

 

Gaster flinched again when the first tear started to fall, but he couldn’t bring himself to move under your ragged words.

“So just man up and do what we both know you’re gonna do!” You hiccuped and tried _so hard_ to stop crying, to stop hurting, to _stop feeling this because it just was too much_ , “Just reject me so I can start mourning you properly! I can’t stay in this stupid limbo of not knowing and always hoping!”

Is that what you thought? His soul suddenly hurt in his chest, but he couldn’t blame you. This is exactly the opposite of how he wanted this sort of discussion to go. It was too personal and he’d made the first mistake by running. What could he do now? You were sure of rejection, but it wasn’t even close to his intentions.

Without meaning to, he was suddenly in front of you. Your back pressed against the edge of the counter. You were still looking up at him fiercely--ever the fearless woman he had always seen you as. There was nothing that could scare you away once your soul set itself in your chest.

He tried to grip some sort of control--he suddenly felt it had all been burned by the ache in his bones. His hands held the edge of the counter on either side of you until it bit into his hands. You arched your back as he hunched over you. There was still the hurt in your eyes. There was still the heavy anger he had put there. Now, however, that was joined by curiosity, longing, hope…? Perhaps he was seeing what he wished to see, but he had to grip the edge of the counter tighter when your mouth opened.

“What are you doing?” You didn’t sound angry anymore, but your words were cut and hard, prepared to rise again in the attack; his soul drummed in his chest as he felt your breath fan over his face.

“I...I don’t know how this is supposed to go, I don’t know enough about this to make a rational judgement,” Gaster was rambling, and he knew it, but he just couldn’t stop, “I just know everything in me would regret if I let you keep thinking that I would reject you like that. I...I can’t. I don’t have it in my soul, or in my bones to push you away. I don’t want to.”

Was he even making any sense? Gaster always tried to be the person who thought out his actions and words; speaking out in passion or emotions was never something he even thought to allow himself. It was too personal, too unnerving to think he could say something wrong, or reveal too much and everything in him was _willing_ him to close his mouth and to stop being so open, so bare, so _ready to let everything fall out of himself just to drive away those dark and horrible thoughts he had brought down around you_ -

“I could never reject you,” He blurted the words out and suddenly felt bare. You actually jumped in surprise and everything in him was suddenly afraid of being so vulnerable, but the words wouldn’t stop, “You’re more than I could have hoped in the person I chose to watch my children. You’re more than I could have wanted in all the ways I couldn’t have guessed they would need--you’re more than I could have ever hoped for myself.”

His words were falling into quiet tones, nearly whispers, but for you they might as well have been thunder. His presence pressed in around you as he leaned closer. You thought you could hear the counter groan from his grip on it. Your back arched more as you felt the magic on his bones press closer.

“What are you hoping for yourself, Gaster?” You breathed.

“All that you are,” He replied.

Then you leaned up and kissed him, and you both were lost.

This kiss was so different from the one you shared on the couch. That one had been heavy and new; an experience wrapped in sensation. If that kiss was electricity, this one was fire.

His arms immediately wrapped around you and the movement brought your bottom up onto the counter. Your legs were wrapped around his hips and your hands clutched at the fabric of his shirt, trying to pull him closer. Your lips were tender from the rough kiss, but your tongue was quick to brush against the edge of Gaster’s mouth. Instead of letting you in, you caught the way his eyes suddenly began to glow purple.

The feeling of something cool that tasted like warm glass was suddenly sliding along your tongue and delving into your mouth. You moaned at the feeling and swallowed around the intruder, which pulled a groan from Gaster. His hands found your hips and squeezed until you gasped around his tongue; your own hands pulled at his shirt until he was leaning over you and the counter.

When you both pulled apart, his glowing face matched yours and the two of you had to take a moment to catch your breaths.

“You...are completely ridiculous,” You smiled and laughed breathlessly.

“I could say the same of you,” Gaster retorted, but there was a humored undertone to it.

“So, how do you want to play this out?” You reached up and rested your palm against his jaw. Your thumb stroked his cheek gently.

“In what terms?” He closed his eyes and turned to press his mouth against your palm.

“Well, most importantly, the boys,” You said plainly, “Secondly, you are still technically employing me.”

Gaster hummed and breathed in the scent of your skin. This was the closest the two of you had ever been and he realized he could get drunk off of your scent. Even as he took in the tang of your smell, his mind was whirring over what you said.

“In terms of the boys,” Gaster finally spoke, his eyes closing as he let his other senses enjoy you, “Sans has already expressed a sentiment of seeing you as a motherly figure in his life; and Papyrus is more than fond of you. Whatever you feel is best for your relationship to them, I will trust you.”

“Hmm,” You felt him nip at your wrist and kiss the skin there; it was hard to think straight because of it but your body wasn’t ready to pull away yet, “I’ll talk to Sans.”

Gaster agreed silently, but for this next issue, he finally pulled away enough to look down at you, “As for the subject of your employment...I’ll admit it was the thing that gave me the most reason to pause.”

You nodded, but waited for him to continue; the kiss was astounding and his admission that he wanted to date you was another, but it would take more than short term promises to make you want to forgo a paycheck and that wasn’t just you being heartless.

“I decided that I wouldn’t want to deprive you of the work, or the money,” He admitted, “I would still like for us to work a way to see each other, and I think I can be objective enough to separate the two. I _want_ to be objective enough.”

“I appreciate that,” You answered and leaned up to kiss him again, “I was sort of hoping you felt that way. I want to be that objective, too.”

The two of you came together for another kiss and really, you don’t remember much more from that night, except that at some point, you did go to bed alone with the promise of the next day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Weh-heeelll, NOW things are getting interesting :3
> 
> ...
> 
> Listen, I'll be straight with y'all (which is hard, as I'm pan 8D), a new plot thread hit me pretty hard so, even though I thought this story would be over at about chapter 30-35, I'm probably going to breach chapter 40 or even 45 (if I end with with 50, it really wouldn't surprise me at this point haha) so I hope you guys are ready for another, more serious section of the fic, there are at least two more scary bits!
> 
> Comments are always appreciated, and please follow my tumblr: [PurpleFictionMom.tumblr.com](http://purplefictionmom.tumblr.com/) My asks and messages are always open!


	24. Chapter 24

The next day was a half day for Sans, which previously meant meeting Gaster for lunch (you were happy to report that he hadn’t missed anymore lunch meetings since the first) and an outing for the boys, but you were hesitant to choose somewhere to go with both boys that wasn’t the school playground.

With the attack on Tillby’s still so fresh, it was hard to not feel the knot of anticipation in your stomach at the idea of being anywhere, even in public. Monsters were already singled out in the fact that most were so tall (and the fact that they were Monsters, as the terrorists had been keen to focus on), and with you alone with two children…

You decided to bring it up while Sans was still getting ready and Papyrus was busy with his breakfast.

“Good morning, Gaster,” You hummed at the stove; you smiled when one of his arms wrapped around your hips and the other gently tilted your head back for a gentle kiss, “Hmm, I could get used to that.”

“Good morning, Zelda,” He replied and grabbed his own and Sans’s plates before moving to the table.

“Gaster, what’s the plan for today?” You glanced over your shoulder.

“Plan?” He raised an eyebrow but didn’t sit yet, so he could see you over the breakfast bar.

“Sans has a half-day today,” You reminded him gently, “With what happened to Tillby’s and everything…”

You hesitated to keep speaking while you served yourself food and brought it to the table, “I’m torn between keeping things normal for the sake of the boys and avoiding the whole mess by just bringing them home.”

Gaster tugged at his sleeves while you settled in your chair; you weren’t sure if he was waiting for you, though, or if he was using the time to think.

“I see your concern,” Gaster said and leaned on his elbows on the table, “It's difficult to know which way to lean; there has yet to be another attack by those terrorists, but it's hard to know if that makes us safer or if they are simply biding their time.”

“That’s sort of my worry,” You admitted, “Being alone out there with just the boys is...well, it’s dangerous.”

You didn’t have to say that you didn’t feel safe--you were more than sure Gaster felt the same way.

“Perhaps you should bring the boys home and distract Sans by planning that sleepover?” Gaster suggested.

Without thinking, you reached across the table and Gaster eyed your hand before his slipped into yours. You smiled up at him, “Well, he’s been super excited about it, that’s for sure.”

“who’s been excited about what?” Sans yawned as he walked into the kitchen and hopped onto his chair next to his father. You watched his eyes scan over yours and Gaster’s without really noticing that you both were holding hands--or maybe he noticed and didn’t think much of it. Either way, he started to squirt ketchup over his eggs.

“We were talking about the sleepover with Alphys and Undyne,” You said easily, “Do you want to plan it after school today?”

“is dad still gonna meet us for lunch?” Sans glanced between the two of you and Gaster was the one to answer this one.

“I will, but here at home,” Gaster finally let go of your hand so he could rub it over the top of Sans’s skull and you smiled at the look of pure pleasure over the child’s face, “Actually, there is something I would like to discuss with you during lunch, Sans.”

Sans opened his eyes and looked up at Gaster with curious questioning eyes, but only nodded.

Gaster saw the three of you to the door, as usual, but you saw the restraint in his posture before you finished securing Papyrus’s jacket. You gave him an easy smile and gently touched his hand before you opened the door. You missed Gaster’s relief, but you could guess after it.

One the way to school, you let Sans and Papyrus walk in front of you--Papyrus was always keen on leaving the stroller at home now that he was walking and running, but being only a year old, he still had trouble with his stamina. The walk to and from school was good enough, though--only a few blocks in both directions.

Sans held Papyrus’s hand without being asked and listened tirelessly while Papyrus talked on and on about everything and nothing. It was adorable to see Sans take to the role of big brother so easily, especially at an age where you had seen other children start to grow apart from their siblings because of the age difference or jealousy.

“zeezee?” Sans’s small voice broke you from your thoughts and you looked down at him.

“What is it, babybones?” You smiled down at him and your hand brushed over his forehead (the only part of his head showing from beneath the beanie you had pulled down over his ear holes).

“can i...hold your hand?” Sans glanced away as if nervous and you smiled.

“Of course you can, Sans,” You reached out and wrapped your fingers around his small hand and felt your chest swell with affection as his fingers curled around your hand.

Papyrus kept talking, but Sans seemed distracted now. You weren’t sure what was on his mind, but you also knew he wasn’t keen on being pushed into talking before he was ready. It was a fine line you had to traverse: if he held onto something for too long, he wouldn’t talk at all.

As the school came into view, you hummed, “Sans, if something is bothering you, you know you can talk to me about it, right?”

He didn’t answer, but you left it for now.

“zeezee?” Sans spoke up again when you started to approach the playground where he would wait for the first bell.

“Yes, Sans?”

“do you love me and papyrus?” Sans stopped walking and turned to look up at you, his eyes pinpricks of focus.

You knelt on the ground and felt his hand tighten around yours, “Of course I do, Sans.”

“do you love us a lot?”

“I love you both a lot,” You answered with a small smile, but you were worried in the back of your mind. What brought this on all of a sudden?

Sans hesitated to say anything more and let his eyes drop to the dying grass between the two of you. Papyrus, seeming to sense the drop in his brother’s mood, threw his arms around Sans’s middle and leaned up to kiss Sans on his cheek with a loud ‘MWA’ sound.

“SANS HAPPY! SCHOOL BE HAPPY! PAPPY LOVE SANS!” Papyrus blurbled the words and held Sans tighter, “NO SAD SANS! NO SAD SANS, PAPPY AND ZEEZEE LOVE YOU!”

Your smile grew; you reached out and pulled both boys into your arms and held them tightly, “And we both love _you_ Papyrus!”

Sans started to laugh, quietly, a little unsure, but he did laugh; his small hands gripped your shirt and wrapped around Papyrus as the three of you shared the hug. You weren’t sure where Sans’s head was at, but you wanted to make sure he knew he was loved and that he had support. That was what you could do for him, always.

“thanks, zeezee,” Sans said quietly into your shoulder before you let the two skeletons down onto the grass again.

“Anytime, Sans; I’ll be here if you need me,” You answered and kissed the top of his head.

Sans blushed as Undyne’s laughter echoed from the playground, “zeezee! that’s embarrassing!”

You giggled, “Sorry.”

Papyrus leaned up and clacked his teeth against Sans’s jaw with a loud audible ‘MWA’ again and Sans’s blush darkened.

“Alright, bittybones, let’s stop embarrassing your brother so he can go be a big boy at school,” You giggled and picked Papyrus up as you stood, “Have a good day, Sans; your father is picking you up today!”

“i know!” Sans hurried to the playground and haphazardly dropped his backpack in the sand.

~*~

Gaster’s talk--which he hadn’t filled you in about before or after he mentioned it this morning--was exactly what you thought it would be about. Which is to say, he let Sans know that he was going to give dating you a try. Sans took it about as well as you thought he would, considering how the boy always took to big changes.

Which is to say, Sans teleported into the attic (which was little more than a crawl space that Gaster had no hope of fitting into) and refused to come down.

“I just don’t understand why he’s acting this way,” Gaster crossed his arms and leaned against the doorframe of the hall closet; his voice was hard and frustrated. Above him, the square plank of wood that was the ‘door’ to the attic was now pushed upward and out of the way. You could hear a handheld video game that Sans usually only played with on rainy days beeping away.

“Well, it’s a change, Gaster,” You held Papyrus on your hip and bounced him a little as he tried to reach up for the opening, “Sans is laid back and doesn’t like the idea of change--it’s just his personality.”

“Well, he should stop being so childish about it,” Gaster gruffed.

“You’re telling me a _child_ should stop being _childish_?” You raised an eyebrow, “He’s six; let him have some alone time and I’ll keep an eye on him.”

Gaster glanced up at the crawl space again, looking torn, “I really don’t like the idea of him up there…”

 

“Well, you told me the insulation was covered so he won’t fall through the ceiling, spiders can’t bite bone, so no worries there,” You listed off, “And I’ll be here at home if he needs anything.”

Papyrus wiggled in your arms again, and you adjusted your grip on him without thinking. Gaster glanced between the open hatch above him and Papyrus in your arms before he sighed.

“Alright, I’ll leave it to you, then,” His fingers gently brushed over your jaw and you smiled up at him.

“Good luck at work,” You said as he walked down the hallway and disappeared when you blinked.

“Papyrus, think you can stay away from the stairs for two seconds?” You cooed and kissed the top of Papyrus’s head as you headed for the stairs.

“WHERE SANS? I WANT SANS!” Papyrus looked on the verge of tears.

“I’m sorry, bitty,” You frowned, “Sans needs to have some alone time right now; he has a lot of things on his mind.”

“WHY?” Papyrus gripped your shirt as you lowered him into his high chair.

“Well, Sans is just upset,” You pulled out a kettle and some sweet tasting tea, while you put on a small pan of milk, “Sometimes, when you feel a certain way, you might want to hide or sit somewhere quiet so you can deal with it.”

“BUT WHY?”

“Sans isn’t very happy with what your father was talking to him about,” You shrugged. 

“SANS DOESN’T LIKE ZEEZEE?” Papyrus slapped his tray as if outraged, but you could hear the curious question in his voice. Honestly, you didn’t feel hurt by Sans’s reaction. It was within the realm of possible reactions and it wasn’t because he hated you.

He was just scared of things changing and what that could mean. Being 6 wasn’t any easier than being any other age, all it meant was that the boy would have less experiences to draw from in order to feel secure and stable.

“No, it’s not that,” You pulled a bottle of honey from the cupboard and started to mix the comforting drink together. You didn’t give Papyrus a bottle this time, but he seemed just as happy with the sippy cup you handed him, “Do you think you can sit here like a good boy while I go give Sans his drink? I promise I’ll be right back and we can watch Sesame Street.”

“YES! BIG BIRD YES!”

You giggled and pulled down a cup that had a sturdy lid and a plastic straw. You weren’t sure how dusty it was up in the attic, but you figured this would keep most of the dust out of the drink.

The sound of the game was still going strong as you knocked on the open hatch, “Knock knock.”

“i don’t wanna talk, zeezee,” was the response you got.

“...You’re supposed to say ‘Who’s there’,” You offered quietly before you pulled the stepstool closer to you and stepped up onto the highest step. This barely afforded your head and shoulders to raise up into the attic, but it was enough, “But we don’t have to talk, if you’re not ready yet, Sans.”

“i don’t ever wanna talk about it,” Sans bit, but his voice was quiet.

The crawl space wasn’t big, by any means. You probably would have to crawl on your stomach if you wanted to go up above, which you weren’t keen on. Still, you put Sans’s cup up into the attic and shoved it toward the bright light that was illuminating Sans’s small face. He was about 5 feet from the opening, laying against a wooden beam with a sour look on his face.

“Well you should still try to,” You hummed and crossed your arms on the edge of the hole before you rested your chin on your arms, “Sometimes, all the hurt inside won’t go away until you do.”

“why?”

His question made you think of Papyrus down in the kitchen, but you pressed forward, “That’s how feelings are, when they’re caused by other people.”

“but dad will just get mad if i talk about it,” Sans lowered the game a little to look over it at your face.

“Why? You haven’t done anything wrong,” You hummed and motioned to the cup before adding, “I made you something, no strings attached.”

“...what does that mean?” Sans sounded wary, but put his game down.

“It means you can come and drink it and I won’t make you do anything you don’t want to do,” You answered without moving.

“even if I don’t come down?” Sans asked, obviously suspicious of you.

“Even if you don’t come down,” You agreed, “I thought this might make you feel better.”

Sans crawled slowly toward you, but when he was close enough to reach the drink, he laid on his stomach and sipped on the straw quietly.

“...what is this stuff? you made it before, too, when we were all upset about tillby’s,” Sans closed his eyes as the drink washed over his mouth.

“It’s Fairy Tea,” You smiled and relaxed on your arms again, “Well, not from real fairies, but that’s what my older sister called it.”

“you have an older sister?” Sans eyed you quietly.

“I used to,” You smiled sadly, “She died when I was younger.”

“died? oh, is that what humans do?” Sans’s voice got a little quieter, “i’m sorry.”

“You don’t have to be sorry, babybones,” You hummed, “And yes, that’s what happens to humans.”

The two of you were silent for a few moments before Sans finally spoke again quietly, “i don’t want dad to be mad at me.”

“What do you think he’ll be mad at you about?” You matched his whisper.

“for...for hurting your feelings?” Sans glanced at you, but kept talking, “for teleporting up here into the attic and because i wasn’t okay with dad and you dating…”

You hummed and waited to make sure he had nothing else to add. When he didn’t, you spoke gently, “Well, he can’t get mad at you for hurting my feelings, because you didn’t.”

“i didn’t?” Sans’s eyes widened, but his eye lights were still pinpricks.

“Of course you didn’t, Sans,” You assured him quietly, “You were feeling a lot of things and you didn’t know how to handle that; you didn’t come up here to hurt my feelings.”

You saw little blue lights appear at the corner of Sans’s eyes and felt your heart break a little, “Sans, are you sure you don’t want to come down? I promise, I’m not mad; and if you aren’t ready to talk, that’s okay too.”

Sans reached his arms out for you and you gingerly pulled him from the crawl space before you reached back up and grabbed his cup. He clung to you and hid his face in your shoulder as you turned off the light in the closet and shut the door.

“C’mon, lets get you out of these dusty clothes and we can go watch Sesame Street with Papyrus,” You gently urged as you headed for Sans’s room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A little drama with Sans, cause he's a cutie, but he's also a child. This was a scene I planned on writing from the beginning (I even had a rough version of it that I ended up redoing completely: the attic was always a thing, though haha), and honestly it's from personal experience. As a child, I LOVED my step-dad, he's kind, reached out and learned my hobbies, he believed in my writing more than anyone (seriously, my own biological parents don't even have high hopes for my writing, despite having never read any of it haha). BUT! Despite having a really good relationship with him, when my mom asked me if I would be okay calling him 'dad', I cried. I don't really know/understand _why_ i cried, because I was practically already calling him dad, but I cried.
> 
> Now I call him dad and have a better relationship with him than both my bio dad and my mom, haha.
> 
> Comments are always appreciated, and please follow my tumblr: [PurpleFictionMom.tumblr.com](http://purplefictionmom.tumblr.com/) My asks and messages are always open!


	25. Chapter 25

By the time Gaster came home from work, you and Sans had your chance to talk.

“...since you and dad are dating, do paps and i have to call you something else?” Sans asked quietly as he cuddled in your lap. Papyrus was happy to hold onto the coffee table and dance with the music, but Sans had refused to leave your side since you got him down from the attic.

“Not if you don’t want to,” You answered honestly, “Whatever you’re comfortable with is what I want. Besides, your dad and I are only dating.”

“what if you guys bond?” Sans glanced up at you.

You had learned about ‘bonding’ from the Monster Culture class you had taken not long after you started to work for Gaster--it boiled down to a deeper type of marriage, and there was something about the souls of both parties being involved; the teacher had gotten rather flustered at that point and hadn’t said more, but you got the gist of it.

“Well, I think it’s a little early to think about that,” You answered, “Dating doesn’t mean that you’re going to bond with the person--it's sort of...you’re testing out the relationship.”

“testing it out?”

“That’s right; to see if your dad and I can make each other happy.”

“what happens if you guys don’t make each other happy?” Sans shifted and sat in your lap, “does that mean you’re gonna leave?”

You held one of his hands and offered him a smile, “No, Sans; your dad and I have agreed that my working for him to watch you and Papyrus has nothing to do with our dating. If we choose to move further than that, we’ll all sit down and talk about it, but right now your dad has a little bit of a crush on me and I have a little bit of a crush on him.”

Sans made a face, “that’s kinda gross.”

A snort left you and you couldn’t stop yourself from laughing, “Y-you’re 100% right! It’s gross grown-up stuff!”

“GROSS GROWN UPS! ICKY!” Papyrus giggled and bounced on his short legs as Bert and Ernie sang about the letter B.

After a moment of the three of you laughing, Sans still looked thoughtful, but you waited to see if he would speak on his own.

You were rewarded for your patience when he asked, “but...what if you and dad _do_ bond?”

“Would that bother you, Sans?” You asked and met his stare.

“i...don’t know,” Sans answered honestly while his eye lights dropped, “paps and i don’t have a mom.”

The way he said it sort of felt off to you; rather than saying he couldn’t remember having a mother, he went straight to he ‘never had a mom’. Maybe for another 6 year old, you could write it off as word choice being poor, but Sans was a smart kid--probably one of the smartest you had ever known.

You opened your mouth to clarify, but Gaster’s study door opened and he stepped out into the entryway. Sans tensed in your lap, but you soothed him with a hand over his skull and a quiet word.

“It’s alright Sans,” You said.

Gaster, for what it was worth, didn’t snap like he wanted to. He instead was taken with the domestic setting of you sitting and watching childish network television while Papyrus danced near your legs and Sans curled up in your lap.

“Good evening,” He greeted the three of you and Papyrus immediately shot off, scrambling around the couch so he could wrap himself securely around Gaster’s legs.

“DADA! DADA HOME, PLAY WID PAPPY!”

You turned in your seat and greeted him, “Welcome back, Gaster; have a good day?”

Gaster didn’t answer at first; his eyes slid from yours to Sans’s, but the boy couldn’t quite meet his eyes.

“It was acceptable,” Gaster finally said before he reached down to pick up Papyrus and walked around the couch to sit next to you.

Sans squirmed in his place, and clung to you a little tighter. He really didn’t like the idea of his father upset with him and you wanted to comfort him; but the ball was in Gaster’s court now.

“Did the two of you have a chance to speak to one another?” Gaster asked you this question.

“For the most part,” You nodded, “He had questions and I answered them.”

Gaster paused to consider this; it was hard to remember how young Sans was, even for him. He often tried to compare the child to himself; which, considering how Sans came to be in terms of birth, wasn’t surprising. Still, 6 years old...Gaster sighed and realized he might have pushed a little too hard.

“Do you have any other questions, Sans?” Gaster asked gently.

You smiled, but held Sans’s hand for support as the small child gripped your fingers tightly. A part of you expected Sans to ask about the potential for you and Gaster bonding, but the boy surprised you when he said something else instead.

“i’m...okay?” Sans didn’t seem as sure about this, and he still wouldn’t meet Gaster’s eyes, but he wasn’t clinging to you so tightly anymore, “can i...can i still ask questions later? if i think of them?”

Gaster glanced at you and you smiled; as if that had been the sign he was waiting for, Gaster answered, “Of course you can, Sans; I am always here for you, even if I’m not always happy with your choices.”

It was the exact thing to say, even though he had been simply trying to think of what you would say. He was happy that despite the words feeling foreign in his mouth, he still agreed with them. Sans crawled from your lap into Gaster’s and you smiled as you sat back and watched the two of them cuddle for a moment after a rough day.

“Well, with that, I’d better start dinner,” You pushed off the couch and brushed your hand softly over Gaster’s shoulder as you walked past, “Sans, if you go and grab my laptop, I’ll help you call Undyne and Alphys again.”

“uh-huh,” Sans sounded happy and you couldn’t stop the swelling of your heart from hearing it.

~*~

“ _-episode was brought to you by the letter B-_ ”

“Anything useful?” The driver scribbled over a clipboard with exaggerated strokes, but they were slow as he stalled.

In the back of the van, electronics were crammed against one wall. The man sitting in front of them rubbed his eyes, “It’s just a bunch of domestic bullshit--something about the nanny dating the target.”

The driver scoffed and tried to keep the scowl off of his face, “You mean that pretty little woman?”

“Yup, her.”

“Disgusting--aren’t all of them skeletons?”

“Basically.”

He checked his watch, “We can’t dawdle; do you think we’ll get anything about the lab?”

“We’ve been casing their house for a month,” the computer man snarked, “He doesn’t talk about work at home unless he gets a call and he hasn’t been taking calls at home since the Whitman brothers fucked up their orders with the diner.”

This made the driver pause, “Think he suspects we know where he lives?”

“Well, it wasn’t exactly private before then,” Was the answer he received.

“Alright, I’m calling it a night,” The driver put his clipboard down and started up the van, “Maybe we can-”

“Wait, wait!”

The man at the computer pressed his headphones closer to his head and started to scribble some details down on a pad of paper. It was a few minutes before he pulled the headphones off and he smirked into the rearview mirror.

“What’s that look for?” The driver raised an eyebrow at his partner.

“There could be an opportunity; if we play our cards right.”

The driver took the pad of paper and glanced over the notes before he chuckled, “Alright, let’s head back and make a few plans, then, huh?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a short chapter to end this little arc of the fic, so we can gear up for the next big plot point! I CAN say!!! We're going to have some fluffy (a little hot and heavy) stuff next chapter! (I may up the rating when I post it, I'll reread it and see if it requires anything higher than a T) BUT It may go up to an M! Just so people are aware. This fic WILL probably end up with an E rating, but any smut/sexiness will have the option to be skipped!!
> 
> Comments are always appreciated, and please follow my tumblr: [PurpleFictionMom.tumblr.com](http://purplefictionmom.tumblr.com/) My asks and messages are always open!


	26. Chapter 26

Sans took a little longer to put down that night, but at least he was in a better mood. A few of his worries seemed gone without a trace. Kids, man. They bounced back so quickly for some things. You, on the other hand, were feeling a little run down.

The last two weeks had been hell for your sleep schedule and you didn’t feel as young as you used to feel (and you also hated how you were already thinking those words when you weren’t even close to 30 yet). Almost to spite such a thought, you straightened your back and marched quietly down the stairs, intent on your nightly chores.

Sure, you always said you ‘clocked out’ after the boys went to bed, but you couldn’t very well ignore a sink full of dishes or the fact that you had laundry that needed to be shifted. So you started with the laundry and moved to the dishes after.

Honestly, you had never minded doing chores alongside your usual duties of watching children. Besides the fact that children make messes (and you were often right there with them, making said mess), there was just something calming about being able to end your day by cleaning the dirt and grime away, so the next day could start fresh and clean.

This was probably more to do with your sister than anything, but you didn’t fuss too much about the idea of it. You had faced your demons about that. At least, you hoped you had. After finishing the dishes you were ready for some down time.

Luckily for you, Gaster had chosen the couch as his workspace for the night while he poured over a folder; you glanced at the contents over his shoulder, but it was written in symbols you didn’t recognize, so you didn’t bother to retain much of it.

Instead, you hummed behind him, “How invested are you in that work?”

Gaster glanced up at you as you walked around the couch. Now that the two of you had agreed to date, his eyes swept over your body briefly (something you noted he never allowed himself to do before--a part of you wondered if he had always been holding back, or if this was a newer interest) before he looked up at you.

“That depends,” He answered, “On if you have an idea on a better way to spend my time.”

A grin crept over your face as you placed one knee on the couch next to him and reached out with your hand to slowly close the folder with one finger, “I can think of a few things I’d rather you be doing.”

Gaster flustered so easily and it sent a rush down your spine. Somehow, you weren’t surprised that Gaster wasn’t up to par on flirting techniques (or even seemed to know how to deal with flirting in general), but the flush of purple was still a pleasant sight to see.

The good doctor never liked to feel unprepared, but you had certainly caught him by surprise. While his usual reaction to being caught with his pants down (he cursed mentally as the saying slipped through is mind and he knew you were to blame for it’s punny-nature) was to be upset or even angry, he couldn’t find it in him. Insteady, he suddenly felt a keen curiosity and desire to see where you would take this. Where you would take _him_.

“S-such as?”

Gaster was not in his element. Not in the slightest. Of course he had been with Monsters before, but it had been long before he had children, and really, much longer than he’d like to admit. Plus, those times had been more acts of carnal need and want that had lasted only a single night, rather than a playful build of flirting and desire like he had with you. He was...certainly not in his element.

You tugged the folder from him and put it on the table next to the couch before you felt Gaster’s hand on your waist. He helped to guide you down onto his lap, where you straddled his hips; you felt your smile grow when he didn’t seem to know where to put his hands.

“Something the matter, Gaster?” You asked in a tone that wouldn’t suggest you were sitting on his lap, pressed intimately close while your own hands guided his to your waist.

His eyes--which had been watching your hands move--now darted up to meet yours. He was still taller than you, even while you sat on his lap but only just. Despite the fact that he was indeed a skeleton monster (you had never seen him without a shirt, but you had seen his arms and his vertebrae were peeking over his turtleneck), it felt as if something was beneath his shirt where his belly was. Or, where it wasn’t supposed to be? You decided not to dwell on this too long: you’d find out eventually.

The slight look of annoyance on his face nearly made you giggle, but you held back as he spoke, “Nothing is the matter--you simply seem so _fragile_ to me.”

Maybe it was supposed to be a jab, but you leaned forward and smiled devilishly up at him, “Is the big strong Monster afraid of breaking his tiny human?”

Gaster sputtered and felt his soul begin to thrum wildly in his chest. His fingers dug into your hips and made you draw in a short breath. Well, he certainly seemed to like _that_ imagery, you thought, amused. Your eyes trailed over his face as he sputtered, unable to find words.

You finally decided to give him a little mercy by pulling the attention off of him, “So, I’m going to lay my cards on the table, Gaster: I’ve never been with a monster before and I’m willing to admit a little ignorance over here.”

Gaster froze and blinked slowly while he processed what you said. He knew you had taken that Monster Culture class, but such a class hardly seemed the appropriate place to teach something like Soul Sex or even the particulars of Monster anatomy. This, at least, he could grasp with some sense of clinical composure.

“So are you curious of how the physical side of our relationship will look?” Gaster’s hands tightened a little on your hips and he watched you pull in another breath. Was this a sensitive spot? He wondered if it was because of the top of your hip bones that he could feel just under your skin.

“A little,” You swallowed and gripped his sweater while his fingers moved over your hips again, “You’re a skeleton monster, right? Well, in my experience, skeletons don’t have-Ah!”

You were interrupted when Gaster’s hands tightened on your hips and pulled you down while he bucked his hips upward. You didn’t miss the hazy purple glow his eye lights had taken, but you were too focused on the hard bulge you suddenly felt against you.

“We skeleton monsters make do,” Gaster said, undeniably smug.

“You ass,” You swatted his chest and shook your head, but you couldn’t hide the smile that was pulling the corners of your lips, “Good to see you finally relax, though.”

Gaster chuckled, “You will have to forgive me: it has been a while for me since the last time.”

“Yeah, kids can do that,” You leaned up and kissed the corner of his mouth.

“It’s...been a bit longer than that, actually,” Gaster chuckled nervously.

You stopped and considered that statement for a moment. A part of you wanted to let it slip into the back burner and just continue kissing him--after all, the two of you would have to be heading to bed soon and you weren’t entirely sure how comfortable you were with the idea of PDA in front of the children just yet--but his nervous admission, along with Sans’s earlier statement about never having a mother…

Gaster felt you sit back and almost immediately realized what he said and what you would likely be about to ask. He still felt the anxious apprehension grip his ribs when you spoke.

“If it’s been that long, then where did Sans and Papyrus come from?”

Gaster wondered if he could somehow simply sit and stare at you long enough and it would convince you he hadn’t heard the question.

_-where did Sans and Papyrus come from?_

Indeed, that was certainly the question. Gaster still couldn’t bring himself to do more than stare down at you, as if maybe--just _maybe_ \--he could find a better answer in the deep color of your eyes.

“Gaster?”

He sucked in a breath.

_Where did Sans and Papyrus come from?_

Where, indeed.

“Gaster, breathe,” You placed your hands on either side of his face and shook him gently, “Hey, hey!”

Is that why he suddenly felt dizzy? Certainly he, Dr. Wing Dings Gaster, wouldn’t be so silly as to _forget how to breathe_ -

Except he suddenly gasped in a quick breath, and then another, and the dizzy feeling went away. Huh. He had no idea such a question could impede even his involuntary breathing responses. He wondered if it was testable-

“Gaster!” You shook him a little harder, “Focus, c’mon!”

“I...I’m sorry,” Gaster suddenly said.

You didn’t respond at first, and Gaster wondered if he had said something wrong. Surely not; not yet, at least. ‘Something wrong’ wouldn’t be said until he revealed exactly what he had done, when he had returned to his secretive lab back in the Underground; not once, but twice even.

“You don’t have to be sorry for having a anxiety attack,” You finally said, but your voice had little strength to it.

“I’m not only apologizing for that,” Gaster replied, but he couldn’t hold your gaze anymore.

You lapsed into silence again; you had been prepared for an answer like, ‘adoption’, or maybe even something distinctly ‘Monster’ like reproducing asexually, but the waves of tension flowing off of him made you wonder just what he had been keeping quiet from you. A small part of you wondered if you should be prepared to be upset--after all, the man nearly had a damn fit just from a singular question--but you took a breath and made a decision.

“Gaster,” You took a short breath, “I don’t know if it’s any of my business, but I’m here: for the boys _and_ for you.”

_Well, do you trust her? Not much point likin’ or loving her if you don’t trust her._

Inker’s words came back full force and were strengthened by your earnest stare. He supposed he _could_ say it was too personal a subject, cite the idea that he wanted to see where the two of you went as a couple...but this was about Sans and Papyrus. The boys wanted you to stay forever and Gaster had already admitted to feeling the same.

No; now wasn’t the time for fear.

“I...have things I hope you will understand—about me and about my sons,” Gaster reaches up and gently touched your face, “It would be much easier to show you; or, at least I hope it will be.”

You were a little shocked. A month ago—hell, _a week ago_ —you would have expected Gaster to run, back away or somehow squirrel his way out of telling you something uncomfortable or hard. The fact that he was freely offering the information, and seemed more than intent on sharing it with you...it made a warm feeling spread in your chest and you leaned a little closer to him.

“Then show me,” You said, “I want to understand.”

It wasn’t quite a relief, hearing you say that. After all, just because you understood something didn’t mean you wouldn’t disagree; but Gaster felt the first trails of hope in his soul. If he could get you to understand, maybe you wouldn’t be disgusted.

“It might be a short time before I can show you,” Gaster admitted, and when your face fell he quickly added, “I am not avoiding the issue—I simply wish to avoid taking my children to such a place.”

You nodded, but now you had a little apprehension, “Alright…?”

Gaster pondered it before he nodded slowly, “I will follow through, soon.”

Despite the evidence to the contrary, you believed he would. Now it was just a matter of patience; well, you hoped it would only take patience.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, I admit it, I'm the sort to tease relentlessly at smut until someone breaks and begs for it (of course at this point, it still won't appear for a few more chapters *insert evil laugh here*). I hope you guys enjoyed this little teaser, let me know how you guys felt about it ;D
> 
> Comments are always appreciated, and please follow my tumblr: [PurpleFictionMom.tumblr.com](http://purplefictionmom.tumblr.com/) My asks and messages are always open!


	27. Chapter 27

Toriel and Asgore has barely landed back in Ebbot before they called Gerson to meet with them at the Monster Embassy. They had been getting regular reports of the protests that had started nearly as soon as they had left, but to hear that there had been an actual attack on their own people…

“Asgore, we cannot act irrationally in emotional outrage,” Toriel almost seemed to tour her office instead of actual pacing around it and stopped regularly to take in a hanging photo or a few titles on her bookshelves, “Not only would that simply escalate the issue, I believe these humans would love nothing more than to provoke our anger and use it against us.”

“I am not suggesting that this leave this room,” Asgore snapped, “But you cannot simply ask me not to be angry for our people.”

“You have been angry for two weeks and other than receiving a scare, our people were not harmed,” Toriel hummed. She was used to handling Asgore’s emotional outbursts—not that she wasn’t feeling a multitude of her own just now, but she couldn’t allow herself to feed into Asgore’s mood or it would never straighten itself out.

“Grannon is hardly ‘unharmed’, Tori,” Asgore clenched his fists as he stared out her closed window, watching as both Monster and Human walked by, “That poor man will never be the same.”

Toriel stopped and closed her eyes in grief, “He is alive; that is also more than we could have hoped for, with those humans slinging water at him the way they did.”

Asgore turned in place and growled, “That is hardly a comfort, considering it should never have happened!”

“I do not disagree with you,” Toriel turned to face him as well and regarded him coolly, “But we must think toward the good of _all_ our people, and not simply what would make us feel better now.”

The King knew his wife was right--knew it better than he wanted to admit--but it was hard to ignore the short visit they had paid to the hospital, to see with their own eyes what had happened to Grannon. He was doing ‘better’, the healers had said, but that was hardly a comfort, watching the fire elemental struggle to even move his now hardened limbs.

 _”He can’t work anymore,”_ Tillby had said, _”He can hardly walk or even sit up; I’m afraid of what will happen to us.”_

Asgore and Toriel had both promised to do what they could to help their family, but for Asgore, it was impossible not to imagine himself in their shoes. What would happen to Toriel, or his children if something were to happen to him? Or what if Toriel were the one injured?

Before either monarch could comment, there was a knock on the door.

“Come in,” Toriel answered, but she didn’t look away from Asgore until Gerson closed the door behind him, “Gerson, thank you for coming.”

“Don’t need ta thank me, yer majesties,” Gerson crossed his arms and glanced between the two of them--it wouldn’t have been the first time he had walked in on a fight, or had to mediate, but the two goat monsters seemed to calm as soon as he entered the room, “What can I do ya fer?”

“We need advice,” Toriel said kindly, an uneasy smile on her face, “And more than that, we need more information in order to make a decision.”

“Ya’ve been to see Grannon, I take it?” Gerson watched as Toriel and Asgore moved to sit near or behind the desk, so Gerson took one of the chairs in front.

“Yes,” Asgore sounded grave, “And we have heard the issue from their point of view.”

“Then, there’s not much more’n I can do fer ya,” Gerson rocked back onto his shell for a moment before he leaned forward, “Ya’ve heard about the protests, but there ain’t been no attacks from it--though we got ours suspicions that it’s the same group responsible fer the attack.”

Asgore rumbled in his chest again, but Toriel folded her hands in her lap, “Is there anything more you can tell us?”

Gerson scratched his goatee, “Two’a th’ attackers were let loose again after they were arrested--human cops just didn’t see the point’n keepin’ em.”

Asgore stood and began to pace, his anger radiating off of him. Neither Toriel nor Gerson were phased by this, so Gerson continued.

“Third one attacked a human that was there,” Gerson said, “And she’s insisted on pressin’ charges, so th’ matter is goin’ through the human courts.”

“Who was the human?” Toriel wondered quietly.

“That nanny o’ Gaster’s,” Gerson said easily, “Zelda Emmerson; firecracker, that’n.”

Toriel blinked before a small smile appeared, “So, she has remained this long? I will pay them a visit soon--there are other matters first.”

Gerson raised a leathery eyebrow before he shrugged, “What’s on yer mind, my Queen?”

~*~

You glanced at Gaster as you finished packing the backpack that had replaced the diaper bag (since Papyrus was walking now), “When did the King and Queen get back?”

“Yesterday, early, from what I gather,” Gaster hummed and tugged on his sleeves before he knelt on the floor to secure Sans’s jacket, “They paid a visit to Grannon and then were in meetings with Gerson and their other advisors all day.”

“And Queen Toriel-“

“You may simply call her Toriel.”

“-is going to be coming for dinner? Tomorrow night?” You ignored his amused smile.

“They both will likely come to my laboratory today to see the issues with the protesters with their own eyes; but yes, Toriel will be coming for a personal visit tomorrow night,” Gaster got a little amusement from watching you try to figure out how to feel or act now that you knew you would be in the presence of Monster Royalty.

“Well, guess I better take that into account,” you mumbled before you lifted Papyrus and put him in the baby harness that was attached to your chest.

“Will you be alright today? With both of them?”

Gaster’s apprehension was muted, but you watched him tug at his sleeves again and smiled.

“I already promised to help chaperone Sans’s class for this field trip—Papyrus won’t be any trouble, anyway; will you, bitty?” You smiled down at the infant.

“FEED TRIP, FEED TRIP!” Papyrus swing his arms and legs freely as you secured the backpack on your back.

“See? Perfect angel,” You smiled up at Gaster and leaned up on your tiptoes to kiss his chin.

Gaster sputtered and Sans gave an obligatory, “ew, gross.”

“Well, that is impossible logic to argue with,” Gaster rolled his eye lights, but you caught the way his mouth quirked upward in a hidden smirk, “I will keep my phone on my person, just in case.”

“So spam you with adorable pictures of the boys, got it,” You grinned up at him playfully.

“ _And_ call if there are any problems,” Gaster added.

“dad, we’re gonna be late,” Sans whined at the door and you giggled.

“Alright, alright, I will let you three go…” Gaster mock sighed and leaned down to nuzzle Sans’s face and then Papyrus’s. Before he stood straight, he kissed your forehead and you felt your cheeks flush while you smiled.

As you, Sans, and Papyrus walked away, you glanced back and watched Gaster hesitate at the front door, not willing to teleport to work just yet. It had been over two weeks since the attack at Tillby’s and still, there were markers of small changes that had been made in the house.

Like how you now triple checked all the locks in the house every night before you felt safe enough to sleep, or how both boys were leary of strangers, when before they were open and friendly (Papyrus was now starting to get over it, which was no surprise to you, since he was so open and friendly). Gaster had made a few changes as well.

He often waited to go to work (even if it made him a few minutes late) until you had disappeared from sight, or how he never went to bed before you, now. There was more, you suspected, but it had a lot to do with magic--when you asked him, he tended to brush it off or clam up, so you had a sneaking suspicion that he was expending a lot of magic without your knowing.

You sighed quietly and held Sans’s hand as the three of you approached the school. The two busses taking students (and a few chaperones) around Newest Home for a history lesson (and lunch at the park, from what you gathered) were already sitting in front of the school’s main entrance, idling loudly. Papyrus leaned away from them, but you pat his skull and lead Sans toward Ms. Verona, who was just taking a headcount.

“Hello!” Ms. Verona managed to somehow not look as stressed as the other teachers, but she was already scanning her group and the adults again, “I’ve decided to divide the groups into five for each chaperone, and you have Papyrus, so you’ll get the last group of three, alright?”

“If that’s how you want to do it,” You smiled gently, “I used to work in daycare, so multiple children isn’t stressful for me.”

That seemed to ease Ms. Verona, “Oh, well, that’s good!”

You waved in greeting to Undyne’s father--who was about your height with blue scales, and a mouthful of needle-like teeth; slicked back with his bright red hair was a fleshy appendage that reminded you of an angler’s light, but you didn’t see anything glowing at the end of it. He wasn’t a chaperone (he didn’t even get out of his car), but he waved back and boomed something after Undyne before he drove off.

“heya, ‘dyne,” Sans greeted with a grin, “ya ready for the bus tour?”

“PSH! YEAH! Are we still in a group?” Undyne glanced around and you had an inkling of who she was looking for.

“yeah, zeezee is gonna be our chaperone,” Sans’s grin grew, “lookin for al?”

You smiled down at the kids as Undyne started to blush and coughed into her shoulder, “NAH! Why would I be doing THAT, nerd??”

“H-here I am!” Alphys hurried over to your group, but from the direction of the offices, “S-s-sorry, m-mom had to c-come t-to the office e-early.”

“Does your mother work for the school, Alphys?” You asked curiously.

When Alphys turned dark yellow in a blush, Sans was the one to answer, “yeah, she works for the main office.”

Ms. Verona started to count her students again as another teacher instructed everyone to start loading onto the bus.

“We’re in the first bus!” Ms. Verona told the chaperones and Sans tugged you toward the doors so your group could go first.

“No need to rush, Sans, we’re all going to the same place,” You smiled.

“but we wanna sit at the back of the bus!” Sans almost whined; you had a feeling the only reason he didn’t was because he was at school, in front of his friends.

“YEAH! The back is the BEST PART!” Undyne was shoving at the back of your knees and you laughed while they directed you the rest of the way.

Sans sat in the very last seat and you shoved Papyrus’s backpack underneath it before you sat down next to him; Undyne and Alphys sat next to each other in the very next row, but turned in their seats so they could include Sans on their conversations. It was almost strange to see Sans in this environment.

At home, Sans was quiet and reserved--other than his penchant for puns and the occasional tantrum, he acted like a small version of his father. Here, surrounded by his friends, you got the feeling you were seeing more of his own personality shining through. He was light-hearted, understanding, joked at every opportunity (you were _so_ proud of the three-minute span where he spoke in _nothing_ but puns) and seemed to be friends with everyone else on the bus.

That one surprised you a little more than the rest. It seemed every child that boarded the bus shouted back a greeting to Sans, even though you knew they probably could barely see him in his seat, since he was so much smaller than the other children.

“You seem to be Mr. Popular, huh?” You smiled down at him.

“heh, i guess?” You caught a small blue blush on his cheeks, “i just like bein’ friendly, s’all.”

“HAH! Don’t let that WEENIE fool you!” Undyne was on her knees with her chest and tummy pressed into the seat so she could speak to you and Sans, “He can make friends with ANYBODY! This DORK even has the BULLIES from 6th grade as friends!”

Sans glared a little, “they aren’t bullies and they’re not really my friends; they’re just...weird about talking to people.”

You glanced down at Sans, but he wouldn’t catch your eye. There seemed to be a story there, but you wondered if he would ever feel comfortable enough to share it. He was his father’s child in terms of keeping things to himself; he would give you a usual run down of his day, but you never pushed--you felt like a child needed privacy and to feel like they had a say in their own relationships. Still, you could understand the urge to push too far.

“I’m glad you’re so friendly, Sans,” You offered quietly before you reached over and squeezed his hand once; then, you changed the subject, “Are you girls excited for the sleepover?”

Sans glanced up at you while Undyne practically screamed her excitement and Alphys stuttered out ideas for party games and anime’s she wanted to bring over. You listened attentively and smiled freely with them.

He wondered how you’d react if he told you the only reason those kids in 6th grade talked to him was because they started out bullying him. He already knew how his father would react: a stern lecture about standing up for himself and probably a lot of questions he didn’t want answered. You? He wasn’t so sure. You never pushed further than he was comfortable, and yet always seemed to get him to talk, regardless. Maybe it was that he knew you wouldn’t freak out like his dad would.

Or maybe he just trusted you more.

That thought sort of made him feel bad. You started out as the nanny (and yes, you were now dating his dad, which he still wasn’t...100% sure how he felt about yet), so shouldn’t he just trust his dad more on principle? He knew it wasn’t that easy. Nothing ever seemed that easy. So he just closed his teeth and said nothing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, before anyone riots *quickly dodges a few chairs* LISTEN
> 
> I am, by nature, a PLOT writer xD So um....here, have some more plot! And...also heavier plot next chapter :D Smut is coming! (heehee puns)...it's just not here yet :D
> 
> Comments are always appreciated, and please follow my tumblr: [PurpleFictionMom.tumblr.com](http://purplefictionmom.tumblr.com/) My asks and messages are always open!


	28. Chapter 28

“Monsters were released from the Underground 10 years ago, when Prince Asriel and Royal Chara joined their powers to bring down the barrier. After Monsters were released, a wall was erected around Newest Home during an agreement with the Surface governments and King Asgore. This would start a two year segregation that came to an end thanks to our own Monster Ambassador, Royal Chara-”

The bus was driving along the outer wall of Newest Home. You tried to focus on what was being taught, but it was pretty dry stuff. Plus, you knew most of it anyway. You had been just leaving High School when monsters had left Mt. Ebbot and the Underground. It had been a huge deal, but now, 10 years later, it seemed that hardly anyone could remember a time when Monsters weren’t a part of their lives.

Well, anyone who wasn’t those damned terrorists.

“What’s seggragation?” Undyne stumbled over the word as she turned in her chair to look at you.

“Segregation is when two groups of people are kept apart,” You said vaguely and glanced up at the tour guide--they seemed used to having ppl talking during their presentation, because they trudged through all of the small conversations happening between children and chaperones.

“NO SEPARATE, BAD, I WANT ZEEZEE HERE!” Papyrus chimed in.

“dad said it was hard during those first two years,” Sans offered, while he reached up and held Papyrus’s hand, “because no one trusted each other and it was like being held in a prison.”

You made a face, “I remember that, too; my whole college did a protest against the segregation, about 6 months before the government finally relented and let humans and monsters start to integrate.”

Sans looked shocked, “ _you_ did protests?”

“RED! PRETTY RED!” Papyrus was reaching for Undyne’s hair as she teased him with her long ponytail; you smiled, but answered Sans’s question.

“Well, not all protests are bad,” You immediately knew where his head was at, “The one I was apart of wanted what was best for both humans and monsters; the one that is in front of your dad’s lab is because they want his work shut down. You see, there are differences depending on the purpose and what the protesters are asking for.”

Alphys hummed quietly from her seat--she had refrained from talking while the tour guide was giving her presentation, but now she turned a little toward you, “M-my d-dad says that th-the only w-way to end a-all the fighting with h-humans is for m-monsters to g-g-g-go back U-U-Underground…”

“That isn’t the only way,” You said gently, “That’s just the way those protesters want it to be. But there are plenty of humans who want monsters to stay up here on the Surface, like me.”

Alphys offered you a shy smile, but the whole atmosphere changed when the bus had to come to a sudden halt. You sat up a little straighter and felt your blood run cold. Protesters with large signs that read “MONSTERS BELONG UNDERGROUND” and “SURFACE FOR SURFACE DWELLERS” were marching back and forth in front of the gate that would have let the two school busses back into the monster community.

“Everyone, remain in your seats,” The tour guide now more than just bored; she sounded scared.

“I’m calling the police,” Ms. Verona stood and walked toward the front of the bus. She whispered something to the bus driver, who made a call over the radio to the other bus.

“SANS, I WANT SANS!” Papyrus was squirming and you could feel his small chest heaving with unshed tears.

You jumped when you heard something slam into the window next to you and Sans. You looked out the window and saw a few large men picking up and weighing rocks, before they started chucking them at the windows and sides of the bus.

“Sans, Alphys, Undyne,” You put your hand on Sans’s shoulder, “Sit on the ground and stay away from the windows.”

You reached over to the children sitting across from you, but there were no humans between the bus and the wall, “If someone starts hitting your windows, get down.”

The two monster children nodded, but looked sick to their stomachs. You honestly didn’t blame them: you were starting to feel that way, too.

Your insides started to shake when you saw two human men coming toward the bus door and start banging on it. The tour guide stood on the stairs, but her voice was shaky as she called through the doors.

“G-go away! We’re calling the police!” She stepped back toward the driver when the men didn’t listen, “We only have children aboard!”

“zeezee,” Sans sounded scared and you felt your body tremble again. It was almost worse than at the diner, because then, at least you just let your body react. Now, you had to try and keep your courage when all you wanted to do was hide, “zeezee, i want dad…”

Gaster. What would he do if he were here? Likely pull out some magic, or hurt someone and get in trouble. But he wouldn’t stop; his children were in danger. You looked down at Papyrus--who was now crying silently--before you took in a breath.

“Sans, take your brother,” You slipped the harness off and handed the whole thing to Sans, who pulled Papyrus into his lap and held him tightly, “All three of you, stay here.”

“wait, zeezee!” Sans leaned toward you, but you offered him a smile and stood from your seat.

As you walked down the middle of the bus, you reached over into a seat and motioned for another parent to follow you; he looked apprehensive, but kissed a boy’s head before he stood and followed you.

When a monster parent tried to stand, you motioned them down, “No, this is a mess we humans need to take in hand.”

“Wait, what?” The father sputtered behind you, “We can’t-”

“We’re not leaving the bus,” You said sternly, “But are you going to just sit back and do _nothing_?”

He glanced back toward his son as you glared up at him; the child looked terrified, but his eyes were on his father. You could almost hear the gears turning in the man’s head: what sort of example was he going to set now? To sit back and let these people terrorize these children--and by extension, _his_ child--would send a pretty clear message, you thought.

“Al...alright,” He swallowed and the two of you made your way to the front.

In terms of numbers, it wasn’t good: there was you, the father you dragged along, another father who stood up on his own when he saw you coming, Ms. Verona and the tour guide.

“P...Please, return to your seats-”

“We’re here to make a stand,” You crossed your arms, “And to give you a break--you look like you need it.”

She looked ready to burst into tears, “Oh god, I don’t know what’s going to happen.”

The second father--you knew him as Mr. Espinoza--eased his way past you and the tour guide, “The first thing we’re gonna do is get these two off the doors.”

He stepped down into the stairwell, but held himself up and kicked the door loudly. The two men standing there jumped back as Mr. Espinoza bellowed loud enough to make you cover your ears.

“YOU KEEP BANGING ON THIS DOOR, AND YOU’LL HAVE ME TO DEAL WITH! THINK ABOUT THAT, TE PATEARÉ EL CULO!”

You didn’t speak spanish, but the father’s daughter started to giggle with her hands over her mouth, so you could guess it wasn’t anything nice. The two men didn’t approach the doors again, so you stepped behind him and made yourself into a barrier by crossing your arms and glaring coolly at anyone who looked like they would try to approach.

“Wish I was as intimidating as you,” You joked quietly with Mr. Espinoza, keeping your glare in place.

“Nah, you turn that glare on me, I’ll be the one running,” He chuckled under his breath.

The other father was on the phone with the police as well, “-don’t care if it's in their right, they’re terrorizing _children_! Well, just wait until I call the attorney general! We’ll see what he has to say about your police station!”

“-about 40 people here; they won’t let us move forward and they’re throwing rocks at the bus,” Ms. Verona sounded as frustrated as you felt, “No, we haven’t opened the doors, but up until a few seconds ago, there were two men trying to get in the door--yes, that was what the yelling was about, why can’t you just sent the police?? I have very young children on board, even an infant-No!”

You pulled out your own cell phone. Calling Gaster might be a bad idea--who knows how he’ll react--but more of the protesters were starting to surround the two busses.

“Children, please sit on the floor, yes, just like that; everything will be okay!” The tour guide was walking up and down the aisle, calming children as you put the phone up to your ear.

“Hello, Zelda,” Gaster answered, but he sounded distracted, “I trust everything--what’s all that noise?”

You took a steadying breath, “You know how you wanted me to call if anything went wrong?”

Gaster in his lab stood up straight immediately, “What’s happened?”

“There are more protests,” You said evenly, glaring as one of the two men from before took a few steps forward, as if trying to listen in on your conversation, “This time, in front of the main gates to Newest Home. They aren’t letting the school busses move through the gates and are throwing rocks and-”

“Oh my god!” The tour guide shrieked from the back of the bus, “They’re forcing the doors open on the other bus!”

You nearly dropped your phone as Mr. Espinoza pushed back toward the back of the bus, cursing in spanish as he went. You took a step back from the doors as well and looked over the seats--the bus looked eerily empty with all the children hiding near the floor--and your mouth went dry. One large man was trying to pry the doors open on the bus behind you.

The other bus began to backup, gaining speed as it hurried to pull away from the large human and you feel a small sigh of relief hit you when the man finally let go and began to shake his fists at the bus that was quickly pulling away. You were worried, with the vehicle moving backwards, but at least they were out of harm’s way.

Then, the large man turns toward your bus and you feel your breath leave you. He was completely intent on getting inside, you could see it in his face as he started to march toward the bus in front of him. More protesters gathered around the bus, so it couldn’t back up the way the other had.

You nearly tripped backwards over the stairs as he punched the bus doors and cracked the glass. Ms. Verona started to scream into her phone, “He’s breaking the glass! He’s trying to get inside!”

Children were screaming and crying now. You felt your heart begin to pound in your chest painfully. You thought you heard Papyrus crying. Sans screamed your name.

Then, it all stopped.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First: I AM SO SORRY ABOUT THE SPANISH, I don't speak it, so I used google translate! If anyone has any suggestion to make it smoother or a better way to put it, let me know!
> 
> AND HERE'S THE DRAMA GUYS. THIS IS BAD. D:
> 
> Comments are always appreciated, and please follow my tumblr: [PurpleFictionMom.tumblr.com](http://purplefictionmom.tumblr.com/) My asks and messages are always open!


	29. Chapter 29

“zeezee!”

Sans called your name, but you weren’t sure how you were hearing him through the noise of the other children crying and screaming. Ms. Verona had gone silent behind you, but Mr. Espinoza was cursing loudly from the back of the bus, but you could only stare blankly at the door to the bus.

There was no one out there anymore. The _road_ wasn’t even out there anymore. You swallowed tightly and realized that you were now sitting on the stairs while your left hand gripped the edge of them tightly. Your right hand gripped your cellphone.

You glanced down at it. You had completely forgotten you were on the phone with Gaster, but when you turned the screen toward you, you saw the call had ended.

“zeezee!”

You sucked in a breath and stood. Ms. Verona was still clutching your shoulder, but her hand fell away as she finally looked around. The whole bus was floating in the air and there was a blue haze that seemed to settle over the edges of your vision.

Blue magic; but who…?

There wasn’t time to focus on it for long as you rushed toward the back of the bus. Mr. Espinoza was in the way and you felt your spine chill when you saw him staring in awe down toward where Sans and Papyrus were supposed to be hiding.

“Boys-”

You gasped as you finally looked down at them. The two of them were surrounding by a bright white and blue light, and both of their souls were shining through their shirts brightly. You gasped quietly and wedged yourself in the two seats so you could kneel in front of them.

“Sans,” You swallowed, “What’s...what is this?”

“i...i dunno, zee,” Sans looked terrified, but Papyrus had his teary eyes closed tightly, “p-paps started usin’ blue magic and i tried to help him and-”

Your phone buzzed in your hand and you saw Gaster’s face--it was a picture you took of him while he wasn’t paying attention, but he’d looked over at you at the last second--before you swiped to answer it.

“Zelda-”

“Gaster, the boys are lifting the bus up,” You said it quickly and somehow managed to keep yourself from touching either child--you definitely didn’t want to break their concentration, even though both of them were starting to sweat now, “I don’t know what to do, they’re already straining-”

“Tell them to let it go, I’m here,” Gaster’s voice was smooth and calm; it managed to impart a little calm of your own.

You took a deep breath and ended the call. Sans looked terrified, but you offered him a weak smile.

“It’s alright, Sans, you and your brother can let go,” You reached out, but touching the blue aura around them actually _burned_ , so you pulled back a little, “Your father’s here to help…”

“d-dad’s here?” Sans swallowed and he closed his eyes tightly, “i...i can’t stop it, pap’s pushin’ too hard!”

You sucked in a breath and pushed your hands forward again. It hurt. It _really_ hurt and the further you pushed into it, the more it lashed out and traveled up your arms and over your body. By the time you finally wrapped your arms around both children, your whole body was washed in the scorching light of their magic. Your insides quivered and you quite suddenly were made aware of your own soul. It seemed to shrink inside of you, trying to pull away from the pain that came from all sides.

“P-Papyrus, baby,” You had to squint your eyes to be able to see in the bright light, “Papyrus, please, it’s okay...Daddy’s here and he’s going to help everyone.”

Papyrus finally opened his eyes, but bright orange tears fell down his cheeks. He hiccuped and started to bawl, but you just cradled the children tighter.

“It’s alright, shh, shhhhh…” You closed your eyes tightly and started to feel a little feint. The overwhelming energy coming of of the children seemed to drain you completely.

“Z...ZEEZEE! ZEEZEE OKAY? PAPPY SORRY! PAPPY SORRY NO ZEEZEE!” Papyrus hiccuped and started to bawl, but almost like a light switch was flipped, the energy was gone.

You collapsed against the seat while holding the boys, you were so exhausted, you didn’t even feel the whole bus lurch for a moment before it was caught up in another blue glow. Both boys clung closer to your trembling form, but you forced a smile onto your face, even though you couldn’t quite get your eyes to open just yet.

“I’m alright,” You said weakly, “It’s alright, I’m so proud of you boys.”

“proud?” Sans sounded angry, “we didn’t mean to! and what if we hurt someone, or-”

You opened your eyes and put a finger to Sans’s mouth, “You are sounding entirely too much like your father--you both did very good, Sans. No matter what, I’m proud of you.”

Sans clenched his teeth, but it didn’t stop the bright blue tears appear or stop them as they fell. Sans ducked closer to you and hid his tears in your shirt while Papyrus wailed in your other arm.

~*~

Toriel and Asgore stood in front of the gate to Newest Home, a barrier of fire keeping the protesters at bay. While the humans screamed angrily, it took very little for them to lose their nerve: all it took was a booming command from Asgore.

“ **Silence.** ”

A few humans even backed away from the group as the noise quieted immediately.

“We have heard the cry from our own people,” Toriel stepped forward, her eyes turning to watch every human; almost as if burned, each human she looked at, looked away, ashamed, “And now you attack mere _children_. We will not return to the Underground. Your actions are your own, and they speak of the very nature of your Souls. If you may look in the mirror, having done such things, then I pity you. However, after today, we will decree that every human who wishes to enter the gates of Newest Home, must be registered, so they may be accountable for their actions. No human may enter after today without this. You have forced our hands.”

A few protesters made loud arguments, but their voices were alone. The rest looked at each other as if seeing each other for the first time. A few, looked to the ground; a few, looked to the sky. Most, turned away and left. Gaster, who listened from behind the gate with his arms crossed, shook his head.

So, controlled segregation again. It had come to this, after all they fought for, after everything they had hoped to achieve.

He hung his head and slowly lowered the bus onto the road behind him, near the other he had teleported only a few moments prior. His magic was close to being drained, but he refused to show weakness; not while there were still humans who stood outside the barrier of fire, who ignored the danger, and ignored the new sound of sirens that only just now were approaching.

He approached the bus, but winced when he saw the shattered glass--too close, he thought. There was too much, too close, and yet he couldn’t help but feel the ache of disappointment that it had come to a controlled separation of humans and monsters.

Monsters and humans alike were already exiting the bus--children gathered around chaperones and teachers, while the bus driver sat and trembled in their seats. Gaster kept his mouth closed tightly. Any of the monsters or children could have been harmed today. Not to say the humans would have been spared, but with the inherent frailty of Monsters…

Gaster noted that he didn’t see you or his sons, so he boarded the bus. There were still Monsters and Humans on the bus--a large human with dark skin was holding as many children as he could while he sang quietly in a language Gaster didn’t understand, and Ms. Verona was trembling in the front seat with another human woman.

Undyne and Alphys were standing in their seats and looking over the back of it toward the floor and Gaster had an inkling as to what they were looking at.

“Zelda,” Gaster said your name quietly, but you turned your head without opening your eyes just yet, “Zelda, are you unharmed?”

It was a question that sent him chills--he had asked it during the last attack as well.

“Yeah,” You breathed and finally opened your eyes. You offered him a weak smile, “I don’t think I can get unwedged from down here though, not until you take the boys, at least…”

Sans and Papyrus were sound asleep, but it wasn’t dreamless as far as Gaster could tell. In fact, both boys looked troubled. Still, he scooped them both his in his arms while you struggled to right yourself.

Instead of standing, you sat on the bench properly; Gaster couldn’t stop himself, “You look terrible, Zelda; what happened?”

Undyne was the one to answer, to Gaster’s surprise, “OH MY GOD! Sans and his brother were all SHOOM! And they were surrounded by a magic aura! AND THEN Zelda just PSH! Pushed through it!”

Alphys trembled for a second, but reached out to hold Undyne’s hand, “H-her s-soul t-t-t-took some d-damage, I th-think?”

“I don’t know about damage,” You grumbled, and rubbed your face, “It wasn’t a pleasant feeling in the slightest.”

The report of the magical aura made Gaster hesitate before he sat at the edge of the bench with you, “What color was it? Tell me what you saw.”

His quiet insistence made you raise an eyebrow, but you shook yourself a little and recounted what happened after you found the boys surrounded by the white and blue light. Gaster listened intently, his eyes slowly taking in the bus around him. He had his theories when he first chose to bring Papyrus into the world. They were the same, after all, Sans and Papyrus. The same, but different.

Just how he’d hoped they would be. How he had planned for them to be all those decades ago.

He didn’t think he could put it off now. He had to tell you something, since he couldn't put off taking the boys back to that place Underground. He knew it would be vital to their growth, but he had hoped to put it off. Hoped to ignore his actions and what it meant.

Hoped he could deny who he had been for so long.

Tonight. After everything had been settled with the Royal Guard and the King and Queen. He’d have to go soon, to check on the boys’ wellbeing. You would come as well, if he could convince you. You had been curious, after all, and it...wasn’t something he wanted to keep hidden from you.

He had hoped it could wait; the relationship was still so new, but…

Gaster could envision a future with you by his side until the end, but it could only come to fruition if he was honest with you now and if you would be receptive to it.

Compared to what he could have become, he thought his choices to be responsible and correct. The same, however, couldn’t be easily said from anyone who wasn’t aware of the alternative, or who only saw the truth as a fixed point in time, rather than what it really was: a culmination of choices, changed as easily as the split of a timeline.

Gaster hoped you would be open. He wanted you to be. But he simply didn’t know.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WHOO! Things are a-moving along~
> 
> Comments are always appreciated, and please follow my tumblr: [PurpleFictionMom.tumblr.com](http://purplefictionmom.tumblr.com/) My asks and messages are always open!


	30. Chapter 30

The aftermath of the field trip was like a circus. Gaster had hoped that he could handle slipping away with his children and you that night, but with your weakness--brought about by what happened with the boys, without a doubt--and the sudden expulsion of the protesters in front of his lab, there was a backlash that included him that meant he couldn’t leave just yet.

When he finally got a moment of peace--long after the sun had gone down and he was getting more and more worried his sons would wake--he pulled Toriel to one side.

“Toriel,” He spoke quietly; they were inside of the Monster Embassy and most of the staff had gone home, but he was always a cautious sort, “I must disappear for a few days.”

The Queen pulled in a quiet breath, “What’s this about, Gaster? Your sons?”

She was quicker than he often gave her credit for, but he wasn’t surprised she had connected the dots. After all, when the bus had started to float, he had been gone; she had ordered him to retrieve the other bus, despite everyone knowing where his children were.

Still, the official story was that Gaster stepped in and pulled the bus to safety. Humans wouldn’t know any better and Monsters simply took the official story from what the Queen and King released. Simple enough, even if it was a white lie.

“More than just about my children,” Gaster hummed and tugged on his sleeves without meeting Toriel’s gaze.

“You mean your nanny, correct?” She offered quietly, “I will admit...there is something different about you now, Gaster--4 months seems like such a long time to be away, except that I never would have thought to see such a change in you happen so quickly.”

Gaster hesitated and looked up at her.

“You were often sacrificing yourself--and your time with your children--for causes you thought were for the greater good,” Toriel said quietly and walked toward the window to watch the streets--they were unusually empty now that word had spread of what happened today and it was almost chilling to see, “Honestly, it felt as if you were slowly reverting back to how you were Underground. I was a little disheartened to see it.”

Gaster looked away again. A lot had changed since then, but he couldn’t deny her words. He was often giving up himself and those around him for his causes--it was something you had called him on every time he did it.

“It’s because of Ms. Emmerson, isn’t it?”

“...Yes,” Gaster didn’t deny it. It had taken a long time for Toriel to build up such a sturdy bridge of trust between them, but he knew he could tell her anything and the same could be said of her, “It is because of Zelda. She will also be coming with me.”

“I understand,” Toriel said, “I will try to cover for you for a few days, but please...do not stay away long.”

“I will be back as soon as I can.”

And then the Queen was alone, staring out the window into the darkened, fearful streets.

“Oh, how I wish this were easier,” Toriel breathed and closed her eyes.

~*~

Both boys were laying in Sans’s bed--where Gaster asked you to leave them both--and you sat on the floor with your back against the side of the bed. The house was silent and dark, since you hadn’t bothered to get up once you had lowered yourself onto this patch of floor. Things had moved so fast after Gaster had appeared on the bus…

The biggest piece of news was the new decree from the Monarchy. Human Registration in Newest Home. Toriel had granted her an exemption because of Gaster, but the sudden change had ripped through the community like a knife. Those bonded to monsters were given automatic registrations, but the rest were asked to register within a week or risk being expelled from Newest Home.

You pulled your knees to your chest and closed your eyes tightly. What a mess…

One good thing was that anyone found participating in the protests would be on a non-registry: unable to gain access to Newest Home for at least 12 months, even if the Human Registration disappeared sooner than that.

That cleared up the crowd in front of the gate immediately and from what you heard, it made the protesters in front of Gaster’s lab disappear just as quickly. You hated to think that some of those humans probably lived in Newest Home, but there was a distinct possibility and that made you feel sick to your stomach.

School was cancelled for the day and for tomorrow--Tuesday. It was hard to keep your days in order just at the moment. You had fallen asleep three or four times since Gaster had brought you and the boys home and you felt like you rose from the dead each time. More than once, you had to pull out your phone to confirm the date and time.

You just felt so...out of it now.

You thought it might have something to do with forcing your way into that blue aura, but Gaster hadn’t had time to ask questions or speak, or answer any questions either. He had told you to eat something from the cupboard, some premade monster food, but you hadn’t bothered to yet. You just felt so tired.

Well, at least, you did; now that you had slept a little, you realized that it was past 8 and you should really follow Gaster’s directions--he’d know better, after all. Besides, a cup of tea with whatever you found would probably help settle your nerves. Maybe.

The house was unusually still and quiet--it was almost enough to make you lose your nerve and retreat back into the Sans’s room. His closet light was on and had provided more than enough light while letting the boys sleep peacefully. You turned on lights as you went, first the hall light, then the stairwell (which also illuminated the space just at the foot of the stairs) and then the kitchen.

You breathed a sigh of relief when the house remained still and silent around you.

Even the street and neighbors seemed quiet, now that you were thinking about it. Monsters didn’t really latch onto the normal rules of the day/night cycle that humans were used to. It made sense, you supposed, since they had come from a sunless place and likely just ran their lives without worrying about a 24-hour clock. School took place at the same time every day, but businesses were usually open at odd hours, or simply open all the time, if families ran it.

It was something you had gotten used to over the nearly 5 months you had lived here in Newest Home. Something that was so utterly welcoming and outrageous that you loved it immediately.

You signed and covered your eyes with one hand, even as the other opened the pantry. You didn’t bother to focus on what was inside for a long minute--it was too hard to focus now that you realized all the things you loved about Monsterkind were likely the very same reasons that some other human hated them. You couldn’t understand. it. 

The pantry was full of quick, easy eats that you normally avoided, but allowed the boys to indulge in: Spider Donuts, Spider Cider (both, supposedly, made of real spiders??), Fire Cakes from Tillby’s (that had left your breath smelling like a campfire), but you reached for the cinnamon bunnies. They were in a vague shape resembling rabbits, but you had asked Gaster to keep any other strange quirks to himself, lest you find out that these were made with monster dust, or some other quirk.

You pulled out two and started making the tea before you finally felt the first few tears falling down your face. Fuck, you hated crying. You hated feeling weak and out of control. You hated feeling like you had held something back for so long that your body just _had to let it go_ before you went crazy...That was why you couldn’t handle what happened today, right?

The idea of what almost happened, what _could_ have happened to you and the boys, and Undyne and Alphys and all those children…

A sob broke through your lips and you leaned heavily onto the counter to try and control yourself. That was why you had just stared blankly into nothing all afternoon and have the evening.

Another sob left your mouth and you hiccuped when you tried to force yourself to stop. It wasn’t working. You were a mess of fear, anxiety, pure frustration and a desperate longing to not be alone. You wished Gaster was here. You just wanted someone to tell you it would be alright so you wouldn’t have to figure it out by yourself.

You were so certain that nothing would come of your wish that you jumped when you felt arms snake around you and pull you back into a sturdy chest. You jumped and struggled only long enough to hear Gaster’s voice.

“Don’t, it’s just me,” Gaster hummed in your ear and you relaxed immediately.

“That wasn’t very nice,” You groaned and let your head fall back onto his chest; your hand came up to absently wipe the tears from your cheeks, but Gaster’s hand followed and his fingers gently wrapped around your wrist.

“You still have not eaten,” He chided sternly, but his voice was soft, “At least you are doing something about it now, but I wish you wouldn’t have put it off so long.”

“Sorry, I just…” You let your head drop a little, “It was hard to get myself to move away from the boys.”

Silence fell over the kitchen for a long moment after that and wasn’t broken again until the kettle on the stove started to whistle. You didn’t move to grab it just yet. Gaster’s magic was warm against your back and you could feel the hard press of his rib cage. It was sturdy and felt like security.

You finally reached out and turned off the burner once Gaster let your waist go, but he helped you all the same.

He didn’t speak again until you were sitting at your place in the dining room, slowly eating the cinnamon bunnies and drinking tea.

“...Zelda, I need to take the boys back to the Underground, for a few days,” Gaster started slowly.

You tensed and looked up at him, “Why? Is something wrong?”

“Probably not in the way you’re thinking,” Gaster tugged at his sleeves again, “Let me explain fully--there is a lot I wish to say and most of it is...difficult. And plenty of it will have to wait, I’m sure.”

The idea of waiting made you narrow your eyes at him, but you nodded to let him continue.

“As I said, I need to take the boys away for a few days,” Gaster leaned forward on his elbows, “Their reaction to each other’s magic this morning was...an unforeseen side effect that I need to observe in them both. I can’t risk their health for anything.”

Each bite of cinnamon bunny and sip of tea helped restore your energy, but all that energy now felt like a bundle of wrestling cats in your chest. It was making it harder to not interrupt, so you allowed yourself to ask a question.

“And just what am I supposed to do while you’re gone?” You pressed your lips together; you didn’t mean to sound so bitter, but you were afraid. You didn’t want to be alone here at home while you waited for Gaster to return, but you had nowhere else to go.

“I was hoping you would come with me,” Gaster answered easily, unperturbed by your interruption, “There is a lot that you should know--about me, about the children and I...I do not wish to hide it from you, even though it will be the most I have willingly revealed to anyone before.”

You sucked in a quiet breath. His eye lights were locked with yours, but you caught the way he glanced away as he spoke and tried to keep a straight face. He was worried; he was _afraid_. It was the same sort of look he had after what happened at Tillby’s. You swallowed and nodded.

“I’ll go,” You said quietly, “But you have to promise me that you’ll tell me everything.”

Even if that had been the plan, the idea of making such a promise turned his soul for a moment. He hated making promises and even somehow passed this trait onto Sans--the boy hated them just as passionately.

“I promise,” He said after a moment; when you looked skeptical and raised an eyebrow, he reached across the table and gently took your hand, “I promise, I will tell you everything.”

You nodded and returned to your food. The words ‘I promise’ had never left his mouth before. You didn’t think he believed in them; still, it was a promise he had given you and you trusted him. He was awkward, he often ran from his problems, but he hadn’t lied to you. Not yet, at least.

“Then we have little time and much to do,” He said as soon as you finished your tea, “We will be leaving tonight.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> BOOM!
> 
> Okay, so quickly here, we're actually catching up to the chapters that I have written ahead to (as of this moment, I'm currently writing chapter 34) and I will probably post 32 and 33 on the same day, so if we catch up to the chapters I have finished, this story might go on a short hiatus while I wrestle the plot into submission again!
> 
> Either way, we're definitely on the back end of this story--I predict it probably won't hit 50 chapters, but we'll see!
> 
> Comments are always appreciated, and please follow my tumblr: [PurpleFictionMom.tumblr.com](http://purplefictionmom.tumblr.com/) My asks and messages are always open!


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